White Lodge Care Home, Swindon

On Thursday we made our debut at this care home situated in lovely countryside to the west of Swindon.

The home is accessed via a narrow lane which runs past a farm and a few country houses. It proved to be a challenge for our drivers, but everyone managed to eventually arrive in the home’s car park. We had been given the opportunity of performing at the home following a decision by the Chippenham Male Voice Choir to cancel their arranged concert owing to a lack of space in the home.

We were shown upstairs to the dining room, and whilst we set up our equipment we could see the room being cleared of its dining tables, and the chairs were being arranged theatre-style. We were ready to start our performance at 3:00pm – but there was no audience! Gradually over the next 10 minutes we saw residents arriving in the room, many of them needing help from members of staff: they had been delayed by a previous activity in the home.

Once we started our programme we could see our audience warming to the music. It probably was a surprise for them to hear our songs, and we later discovered that the home did not have regular entertainment. We performed our full programme – even though it meant staying a little longer than the planned timing – but everyone had enjoyed themselves, and we look forward to visiting the home again in the near future.

Singers missing the performance were Ron Dolman and Phil Dyke. Our programme was:-

1. When You Walk In The Room
2. Hang On Sloopy              
3. No Matter What                
4. Rhythm Of The Rain          
5. Sorrow                         
6. Be Bop A Lula              
7. You Are The New Day       
8. Yes I Will                       
9. All I Need Is The Air        
10. Hey Jude                  
11. Cliff Combo             
12. California Dreaming     
13. All I Have To Do Is Dream 
14. Let It Be                        
15. Bad Moon Rising           
16. Amarillo                      
17. American Trilogy         

Wharf Court, Melksham

Last night we made another appearance in front of the pop music knowledgable residents of Wharf Court, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed a full evening of entertainment.

We had been invited by Jill to provide the music at a wine and cheese evening for the residents – similar to previous occasions when we have visited the home. There were plenty of residents in the lounge when we arrived just after 7:00pm to start setting up. Most of the faces were familiar to us. Amongst them was a gentleman named Ian whom we were told was celebrating his 92nd birthday that same day, and we were instructed to keep a surprise cake a secret until after the interval break.

We started our first half of music quite strongly with upbeat songs and immediately noticed how many of the audience were joining our singing with happy smiley faces (in recognition of the songs). We threw out a few questions about the names of the original recording artists – and that stumped them. But we were surprised after we had sung the Boyzone song ‘No Matter What’ to hear someone say that it was written for the musical ‘Whistle Down The Wind’. We checked at half-time and sure enough he was quite right! He would later be seen in the second half dancing with a number of the ladies in the audience. He had a lot of energy – perhaps fuelled by the alcohol that flowed for most of the evening.

During the interval we were invited to participate in the buffet, and towards the end of the interval we sang Happy Birthday to 92 year-old Ian as he was presented with a magnificent cake.

Our second half completed with a number of familiar songs that allowed the audience to sing-along, and we finished on a high with ‘Hey Jude’. But before we sang that last song we felt we had to sing Happy Birthday to our singers Keith Bartlam and Phil Hall who had both had recent birthdays. We included Ian in this rendition. The evening had been a complete success, and we thanked our hosts for their hospitality and mentioned their contributions towards our supported charity Julia’s House.

Singers missing last night were Ron Dolman, Chris Scott and Jack Webb. Our programme was:-

1. When You Walk In The Room 
2. Hang On Sloopy          
3. No Matter What                
4. Rhythm Of The Rain         
5. Sorrow                         
6. Be Bop A Lula                     
7. You Are The New Day      
8. Yes I Will                    
9. All I Need Is The Air      
10. American Trilogy        

Interval

1. Cliff Combo          
2. Lean On Me                  
3. California Dreaming          
4. All I Have To Do Is Dream 
5. Let It Be                    
6. Dreamin’                      
7. I Fought The Law   
8. Bad Moon Rising     
9. Amarillo           
10. Hey Jude           

Applegate House, Trowbridge

This afternoon we made our fourth appearance at this residential home near to the centre of Trowbridge.

There was an excellent turn-out of residents for our performance – with almost every lounge seat occupied. When asked if there were any residents who had never watched us perform there were just three hands that went up. We re-assured those people that they were in for an entertaining hour, and we then kicked-off our performance with a couple of upbeat songs – ensuring that everyone was hearing us loud and clear.

Our programme had been selected to include many songs we had not performed in previous performances at the home. We even included the most recent addition to our repertoire – the Gene Vincent ‘Be Bop A Lula’ which was recorded way back in 1956. Several members of the audience were singing along to this song as well as many more of our programme. We had to admit that our rehearsals had not gone too well last week due to the community hall fire alarm going off every 5 minutes. However, we seemed to manage today’s programme quite well and the audience appreciated our music.

Towards the end of our programme we were able to sing ‘Hello Mary Lou’ to the one lady who had the name Mary. She had been helping with the organising of the event at the home, and so it was a small reward for her hard work.

We would like to thank Anna Hall for booking and arranging the lounge for the performance, and also for providing us with refreshments afterwards. Singers missing today were Keith Bartlam and Ron Dolman. Our programme was:-

1. Proud Mary                
2. Hang On Sloopy          
3. Under The Boardwalk      
4. When You Walk In The Room 
5. Sorrow                     
6. Crying In The Rain          
7. Help Me Make It Through The Night
8. You Are The New Day       
9. Be Bop A Lula                    
10. No Matter What                 
11. I’m Into Something Good   
12. Hey Baby                   
13. Yes I Will                    
14. Do Wah Diddy Diddy      
15. Rhythm Of The Rain         
16. Hello Mary Lou                
17. American Trilogy       

Goatacre Manor Care Centre

On Wednesday 20th March 2024 we made a return to the care centre for our 20th appearance.

We now know our way around the care home and need very little supervision! It was good to recognise many familiar faces around the lounge waiting for our performance to begin. We were told they had finished their lunch well ahead of our performance, and so we decided to make an early start to the concert.

A few days before the concert we had been advised about three residents who were celebrating birthdays around the time, but as we announced the singing of Happy Birthday for those three residents we heard that only one was present – Iris. So, she was especially glad to hear us all sing to her.

There were a few comings and goings during the first half of our performance, but the arrival of some younger members of staff certainly introduced some enthusiasm to the music, and there commenced a great deal of clapping and chair dancing. We finished on a high note with Elvis Presley’s ‘American Trilogy’ (literally) and then made our way to the home of singer Jack for refreshments.

Singers missing today were: Ron Dolman; Brian Elliott; and Nick Greene. Our programme is shown below:-

1. All My Loving              
2. Proud Mary               
3. Under The Boardwalk        
4. Hang On Sloopy            
5. When You Walk In The Room
6. Another Saturday Night   
7. Crying In The Rain         
8. Help Me Make It Through The Night 
9. You Are The New Day    
10. No Matter What               
11. I’m Into Something Good    
12. Hey Baby                     
13. Yes I Will                           
14. Do Wah Diddy Diddy       
15. Rhythm Of The Rain            
16. Hello Mary Lou              
17. American Trilogy         

Honeypot Club, Trowbridge

This afternoon we made our 15th appearance at the Honeypot Club in Trowbridge.

The members of the club have become well known to us over the years, and it was interesting to see a few new members were present in the church hall for our performance. The lunchtime had slightly overrun its time, and members were still paying for raffle tickets at the appointed time for our performance. But we waited patiently and our show got underway about 10 minutes later than planned.

We were told (quietly) that there was someone in the room who was celebrating a birthday – but that we should wait for organiser Kerry to announce it. Kerry was nowhere to be seen throughout our performance. At the end she appeared from the ‘Quiet Room’ and told us all that birthday boy Brian had left shortly after the lunch – so we were unable to wish him a Happy Birthday!

The group were in good voice for our songs and some linked arms at their table to exercise to our musical rhythms. Our programme contained a mixture of uptempo songs and slow ballads. They were familiar to most of the people in the room. When we performed two of our newer songs we challenged the audience to name the recording artists for ‘Rhythm of the Rain’ and ‘Hang on Sloopy’. To our surprise, Charlie was able to immediately answer ‘The Cascades’ and ‘The McCoys’. He knew his 1960s music very well, and we applauded him on both ocassions.

Singers missing today were: Ron Dolman; Nick Greene; Brian Elliott; and Chris Scott. Our programme was:-

1. All My Loving       
2. Proud Mary           
3. Under The Boardwalk   
4. When You Walk In The Room
5. Another Saturday Night
6. Crying In The Rain       
7. Help Me Make It Through The Night 
8. You Are The New Day
9. No Matter What            
10. Hey Baby                         
11. Do Wah Diddy Diddy          
12. Rhythm Of The Rain       
13. Hang On Sloopy              
14. I’m Into Something Good  
15. Yes I Will                    
16. Hello Mary Lou              
17. American Trilogy           

Claremont Care Home, Corsham

This afternoon we were treated to our largest audience at the Claremont Care Home. The lounge was full to bursting point for our performance – our fourth one in the last two years.

There were many familiar faces amongst those gathered in the room, but also some new faces. And everyone had come along to enjoy themselves. Before starting our music programme we were informed that one resident – Joan – was celebrating her 88th birthday that day. So everyone joined us in singing her Happy Birthday. She was delighted to have the spotlight trained on her. However, she had to depart shortly into our programme due to a visit by members of her family. It was such a shame for her husband who had been enthralled by our songs.

The audience was informed that our third song ‘Rhythm of the Rain’ was the first time we had sung it in public. A few knew the song but could not guess the name of the group who had made it a hit. When the answer was announced as ‘The Cascades’ they remembered! Our rendition received appreciative applause.

We also included the Simon and Garfunkel song ‘Sound of Silence’ in our programme. It was probably only the second time we had sung it in public, and that was another success with the audience. At the end of our performance we were thanked by organiser Sue, and she encouraged us to come back again in the very near future.

Singers missing today were Keith Bartlam and Ron Dolman. Our programme was:-

1. All My Loving       
2. Proud Mary           
3. Rhythm Of The Rain    
4. Under The Boardwalk   
5. Bye-Bye Love          
6. Another Saturday Night  
7. Crying In The Rain     
8. Yesterday                    
9. Do Wah Diddy Diddy      
10. You Are The New Day    
11. Help Me Make It Through The Night  
12. No Matter What              
13. Sealed With A Kiss  
14. Hey Baby                     
15. Sound Of Silence        
16. Hello Mary Lou           
17. American Trilogy        

Athelstan House, Malmesbury

This afternoon we made a successful return to Athelstan House on the outskirts of Malmesbury.

Our last appearance at this care home was in November 2018. The lounge quickly filled with residents and there were more than 30 in the audience to hear our performance. When asked if there was anyone who remembered us from our previous visits there was one elderly lady who put up her hand. It was amazing to discover that people could remember us over such a lengthy period.

Our music was well received from the outset – with people joining us with the singing or else clapping to the beat. Today’s repertoire was a mix of up-temo songs and ballads, and our audience seemed to appreciate the balance. We even saw a few who managed to perform some dancing to a couple of songs – aided by some of the staff who were in the room. It really is a pleasure to see how our music provides some entertainment to people in care homes.

At the end of the performance we were thanked by a representative of the residents, and the organiser of our concert asked us to return again in around 3 months time.

Singers who missed today’s performance were Keith Bartlam, Ron Dolman and Nick Greene. It was good to see singer Brian Elliott alongside us following the recent passing of his wife. Jill had been a resident at the home for a short period before her passing.

Our programme was:-

1. Amarillo          
2. Proud Mary              
3. Bye-Bye Love            
4. Under The Boardwalk       
5. The Young Ones          
6. When My Little Girl Is Smiling 
7. I’m Into Something Good   
8. Help Me Make It Through    
9. You Are The New Day    
10. Another Saturday Night    
11. No Matter What    
12. Hey Jude           
13. Crying In The Rain    
14. Hey Baby                       
15. Sweet Caroline               
16. Do Wah Diddy Diddy     
17. American Trilogy            

Chippenham v Arthritis

This afternoon we gave our annual performance for this group who meet in St Paul’s Church Hall in Chippenham.

Although it had been a very wet day, we had an audience of 21 which consisted of 20 ladies and one gentleman. They were a marvellous audience for us – joining in with the singing and performing hand jives to our music. Everyone participated in the ending of Hay Jude. We recognised a number of familiar faces and it was great to see their enjoyment of our programme.

Our group are still experiencing health issues amongst some of our singers, and this cut down turn out to seven – but one more than we managed in our previous concert. We hope to get others back in the coming week.

We finished at 3:00pm and enjoyed a refreshing drink with our hosts. We received really good feedback about our performance, and we look forward to returning again in the near future if that is possible. Singers missing today were: Keith Bartlam; Ron Dolman; Brian Elliott; and Jack Webb. Our programme was:-

1. Amarillo                    
2. Hang On Sloopy          
3. Proud Mary                
4. Bye-Bye Love                
5. Under The Boardwalk       
6. The Young Ones            
7. When My Little Girl Is Smiling
8. I’m Into Something Good 
9. Sunny Afternoon             
10. Can’t Help Falling In Love
11. Another Saturday Night  
12. Runaway                            
13. Hey Jude                       
14. Crying In The Rain          
15. Saturday Night At The Movies
16. American Trilogy             

Malmesbury Monday Club

This afternoon we made our 18th appearance for the club since we first visited Glovers Court in July 2015.

The lounge room was full by the time we arrived – 30 minutes before our performance. Clearly, organiser Iona had recruited some new members, and everyone seemed eager to hear our music. Our group were very much down on numbers for today’s concert: five singers were unavailable through reasons of ill health (either themselves or wives).

The audience were on fine singing form for our opening song – Amarillo – and they continued into the next song Hang On Sloopy. We teased them about their previous beach holidays when announcing Under the Boardwalk – referring to such exotic destinations as Bournemouth and Weymouth! And audience participation continued into Cliff’s song The Young Ones. Most of the audience were able to sing the words of that one.

No one was admitting to having a birthday around this time – although we did hear one lady say hers was in October. We decided that would not count towards us singing Happy Birthday!

Our two Elvis songs were well received – especially our finale rendition of An American Trilogy which received great applause. At the end of the concert we were treated to a magnificent buffet – and we must thank Iona and her helpers for all their efforts.

Singers missing today were Keith Bartlam, Ron Dolman, Brian Elliott, Chris Scott and Jack Webb. Our programme was:-

1. Amarillo              
2. Hang On Sloopy       
3. Proud Mary                
4. Bye-Bye Love            
5. Under The Boardwalk     
6. The Young Ones      
7. When My Little Girl Is Smiling 
8. I’m Into Something Good  
9. Sunny Afternoon          
10. Can’t Help Falling In Love  
11. Another Saturday Night  
12. Runaway                 
13. Hey Jude                 
14. Crying In The Rain        
15. Saturday Night At The Movies
16. Sweet Caroline               
17. American Trilogy       

Flowers Manor Care Home, Chippenham

This afternoon we re-visited this care home in the centre of Chippenham. It was our third appearance in the last 12 months.

And it was a pleasure to sing Happy Birthday to Gloria who will be 90 next Monday – the whole room joined us in the singing and Gloria got a little emotional towards the end. Well done to Gloria and we hope she enjoys Monday at the home.

There were around 25 residents and staff in the lounge for our performance, and we could see that many were joining in the singing of the familiar songs. They also enjoyed waving their arms aloft during our rendition of Hey Jude. We didn’t manage to encourage anyone to get onto their feet to dance along to our music – what a shame – but most of the audience joined us for the singing of our final song ‘American Trilogy’.

After the performance we were treated to tea and cakes in the home’s reception area. We thank Rachael for arranging those refreshments. We hope to return to this venue in the near future. Singers missing today were: Keith Bartlam; Ron Dolman; and Chris Scott. Our programme was:-

1. Amarillo                  
2. Hang On Sloopy      
3. Proud Mary                
4. Bye-Bye Love               
5. Under The Boardwalk       
6. The Young Ones               
7. When My Little Girl Is Smiling 
8. I’m Into Something Good    
9. Sunny Afternoon                  
10. Can’t Help Falling In Love  
11. Another Saturday Night     
12. Runaway                   
13. Hey Jude                    
14. Crying In The Rain            
15. Saturday Night At The Movies
16. Sweet Caroline          
17. American Trilogy