Monday 14th April 2025

I was helping to deliver the session at St Brides this week as Kenny is on holiday. We have a gentleman who lives with dementia and plays the fiddle (violin). It is something he loves to do, in fact I would say his whole identity is wrapped up in his love of the violin. It is brilliant hearing him play along to all the songs we sing. What he really enjoys is when he gets the chance to play a solo or two. Although the numbers at St Brides haven’t been as high the impact that it’s made for some people who may find a bigger group a struggle is clear to see.

We also had two new places to visit this week and one was Milford House. It was great fun with the group thoroughly enjoying the music together. It was a real party atmosphere as the activity organiser had arranged food and drink for everyone. I am not sure whether the drink improved the singing, but it was great fun. We were also at LifeCare this week and although we had been there once before the group is very new to us. It is also true to say that we are very new to them. It is always interesting to begin building new relationships and see how within a group some people are more open than others. Winning the confidence of people is important when trying to build a truly authentic support group and that is really what we are trying to do. It is right that this should take time and expecting people to share their life story on the first or second session is not realistic. So we will work hard and see where it takes us.

On Saturday evening John and I went to St John’s Church, where the Edinburgh City Community Brass Band were delivering their spring concert. This year the choir performing with them was a community choir called the Corstorphine Singers. They had kindly said that Forget Me Notes could do a collection at the end of their concert. Both the Band and the Choir did very well, and St John’s was packed. I am beginning to understand the reach that Forget Me Notes has within the Edinburgh community. People as they put donations in the box commented on what great work we were doing and how they had sung with Forget Me Notes in Saughton Park. It is not always easy understanding how people are receiving what we are doing but it was clear by the amount people were giving that they appreciated our work.

I must admit to having a late-night last night, as a golf fan I was watching Rory McIlroy win the Masters. His determination to win and his emotional response to winning was immense. His message to his daughter after winning was “never give up on your dreams”. I was again reminded of the great speech of Martin Luther King “I have a Dream”. Martin Luther King had given that speech several times before and its impact was nothing like the one occasion when it left a footprint upon the world. Like Rory, Martin Luther had to keep trying to deliver until such time as the way opened for the impact to be felt. Whether or not Forget Me Notes will ever make a footprint upon the world I really don’t know, but that’s not its aim. We aim to leave a footprint on the lives of those people we support and we will keep trying and showing just how much worth the people we work with have.

Hope you have a good week, speak to you next week.

Monday 7th April 2025

The beginning of the week felt as though summer had arrived early, I was feeling optimistic about Saughton Park and how the session would go this week. Then the east wind came along, and it was chilly. I need not have been concerned because being in the glasshouse meant that it was very hot and fifty people gathered to sing and share stories. 

At Ashbrook on Friday, we had twenty-six people which is the biggest ever turnout to a session. 

Groups often move in cycles and when one group has a high attendance another has less at different times. 

St Brides in recent weeks has been a little lower in attendance as one or two people are on holiday and a few people unwell. 

We have a group at Stenhouse which never has any more than five people and it is such a meaningful group. 

Our volunteer project and music therapy project each are aimed at delivering sessions with one person. 

I suppose what I am trying to say is it is the quality of our relationships that matter. When the relationships are authentic then the interactive experience and the numbers take care of themselves. It is people that matter and not numbers.

At a session yesterday someone said to me “thank you for involving us”. It could have been seen as a throw away remark at the end of a session. However, I took that comment and reflected on the session to see where we had enabled participation, and active listening had taken place. This means that next time I am aware of what worked and what didn’t. 

Empathy is all about using our own experiences to understand the world of other people. Understanding our own emotional responses to situations and using them to identify with the world that others experience. I have never been given a diagnosis or lived with dementia, but I have been given news that has changed my life, turned my world upside down. I remember how it made me feel and what my responses were. 

This all means that without each one of us the world cannot reach its full potential and without each person being valued for who they are there will always be more to learn.

As Louis Armstrong once sang “What a Wonderful World” and I can hear my friend Peter singing “Oh Yeah”.

Have a wonderful week.

Monday 31st March 2025

I don’t know if you are religious or not but there are many songs that have been written over the years about heaven. 

The following are just a few of them:  

Would you know my name if I saw you in Heaven. 

I’m in Heaven when I’m dancing cheek to cheek. 

Heaven Must be Missing an Angel.

I have always seen heaven as much about a relationship as it is a place in the future. Let me tell you about my experience of heaven this week. 

On the 22nd April the Forget Me Notes will take over the management of the All Singing and Dancing Tuesday group. All Singing and Dancing is a group that works with people with additional needs and offers the opportunity for people to come with their carers to express themselves to music. The group has been co-ordinated by Kenny Vass who is also a music facilitator at Forget Me Notes. Bringing the two groups together will be a wonderful opportunity for all of us. The new Scottish dementia strategy offers an increased way of working with those with additional needs, and particularly those with Down’s who are at greater risk of getting dementia. We are taking advantage of this, and it feels a privilege and an honour to support Kenny to provide what is an outstanding service. 

On Friday I dropped in on the Friday session of All Singing and Dancing. There must have been between 70 and 80 people all singing and dancing together. Some in wheelchairs, some with guitars, some young, some old, some Scottish, some of other nationalities. All accepted, all sharing, no competition, it was what could only be witnessed as a wonderfully loving environment.

It felt like heaven!

We can often get concerned about what really is trivia. Whether or not we have two cars, earn the most money, have the biggest house. Being a part of All Singing and Dancing makes you realise what are the most precious things in life. Valuing each other, supporting each other and sharing experiences together are surely what is most important. Along with telling someone you love them. It really doesn’t get any better.

If you want to share in a great week then living by these values must surely be like heaven itself.

Have a great week.

Monday 24th March 2025

We were doing a session at Open Door on Tuesday and the theme was food. It was great coming up with songs that include food. I know you may think of the song from Oliver ‘Food Glorious Food’. The musical Oliver one that has been performed in many schools and many of you like me may have memories of playing a part or singing in the chorus. I was lucky to play a part at my school. I was the long song seller, I literally had three words to sing which said, “who will buy”. Hardly a role that would win me an Oscar, though I did have to sing the three words twice. The good thing about having a theme about food is that we all have an opinion on food. It was a session with enthusiasm. 

On Thursday we had a great day with a session at a new care home for us called Royston Care Home. It seemed to go well and there was much enthusiasm from the residents.  We then went to Saughton Park in the afternoon and for the second session in a row we had fifty-two people singing and having great fun together.

On Friday we had an excellent Trustee meeting. We were finished in under an hour and yet we discussed some important items. While we are in a good place just now, if we could be a bit more successful on the grant front this would be helpful. Later at our session at Cramond I was happy to meet with a staff member who I knew from my time at Broomhouse. It was good to see her and catch up.

Reading this back it sounds like a quiet week; don’t you believe it!

Hope you have a great week, speak to you next time.

Monday 17th March 2025

Funding applications have become a part of my life and this week it’s been Awards for All and One City Trust. As much as they can be long and laborious, I do find them a positive challenge. What do I mean? Writing about Forget Me Notes allows me a time of reflection and a time when I can be specific about what we offer and what we achieve. We don’t always get a “yes” but if we get enough yeses to continue to provide a positive service that is all that counts.

On Tuesday I was doing supervision for a project we deliver at Open Door in Morningside. It is a wonderful project made that way by those that take part in it. We want to develop a three-year project and so we spent some time looking at what a third year might look like. This would mean that we would have three years of work that could be built into a package that could be delivered in any centre. We will also have an evaluation that goes with our work in order that we can evidence the value of the project.

The highlight of our week was singing at the Parliament. We had great fun and we were able to share our message of how music is good for your health. If delivered in imaginative and creative ways, then we can save the health service a lot of money. Kenny did a video of the occasion, and I have attached it to this post for you to view. Kenny has done a great job, and I am sure you will love it. It just so happens that Forget Me Notes is seven years old this month. What a way to celebrate.

Friday was spent at Strachan House and Craighall. We had a good-sized group at Strachan House but one or two people being unwell meant not as many as usual. This allowed us the opportunity to work closely with those who did come. We discovered one resident was a pianist and had played at the recent service that was held in the home. We heard other snippets relating to the lives of the residents and through music we were able to celebrate what makes them unique with a story all their own. In the afternoon we were at Craighall for another session. One of the residents who we have met there is not well. He was a long-distance runner who won a lot of different titles for running. He is also a lovely warm human being, and we had the privilege of singing with him. However ill he is when we sang “Wonderful World”, he joined in singing the words with a faint movement of his lips. These privileged moments are ones that I value so much.

What a week and now we start another with new opportunities, new stories and people to value. Have a great week.

Monday 10th March 2025

We have had another exciting week at Forget Me Notes. 

At the AGM we had good conversations about future and the steps forward that we have made with regard our constitution and how we are preparing for further development. 

This week was the first meeting of our All Singing and Dancing project team. All Singing and Dancing is a group aimed at those living with additional needs and is open to all. The project leader of this group is Kenny who is a music facilitator and is featured in this quarter’s newsletter. Kenny has been running the group for the past ten years. We have been in discussion with Kenny to bring the project under the umbrella of Forget Me Notes so this week we have been discussing the practicalities for doing that. The handover of the management to Forget Me Notes will take place in April. The wonderful thing is that from a practise point of view nothing will change, the project will be delivered in the same way as it is now. It does mean, however, that we can widen our scope and include in a more formal way those living with additional needs.

It was wonderful to be at Saughton Park this week with our regular members but also to welcome people with additional needs who were attending the group. We had 52 people in the Glasshouse. It was a real family atmosphere with everyone being included and all singing amongst the plants that were in this beautiful building.

We had a good session at Eagle Lodge this week. It is great when staff can join in with the singing, it is not always possible but this week we had a wonderful rendition of Edelweiss (with harmony) that included several staff members.

Friday saw us at The Festival Theatre for another session of Together in Song. It is always nice to have new people and there were at least four people who had never been before. We took the theme of Spring, and the weather certainly helped us out. We did Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves which was great. We also did an Ethel Merman song “Everything’s coming up Roses”.  It was great fun.

This coming week we will be singing in the Scottish Parliament for the MSP’s and invited guests. We will take our message of the benefits of music and see if we can influence the budget! That might be a bit of a tall order, but we will present the value of music to the health of the nation and hopefully show that through music we can cut spending on traditional medicines. We will give it a go for sure and see what we can achieve. 

I will let you know how it goes next week.

Monday 3rd March 2025

It was seven years ago in March when we took the decision to register The Forget Me Notes Project as a charity. We had one choir and some Music Memories sessions. We took the plunge believing that the journey ahead would offer us opportunities to support people through music. The journey that we have gone on has been one that we could never have predicted. I can say without fear of contradiction that we have experienced surprises along the way! Many people have recalled memories and shared stories with us that have been amazing. We have seen and heard communications that we would never have thought possible. Most of all we have a built a community that is strong, supporting each other through many challenging and difficult times.

Seven years later and we have evolved into an organisation that has five choirs, a volunteer project that completed 250 individual visits in the last year, a Music Memories project that has fully recovered after Covid and is now delivering more sessions. We also have a Music Therapy project working with those in the later stages of their illness.

It is true to say that as an organisation all that we do needs to be underpinned by a constitution and policies that are fit for purpose and which we can depend upon and work with.

Why is this the topic of this week’s post?

We held our AGM on Thursday with almost thirty people present, some voting and some community members. All those present had the interest of The Forget Me Notes Project at heart. I want to say a huge thank you to those trustees and staff who have with Paul’s help developed a constitution that will stand as our foundation for future evolution.

We will also spend time this year with an external group supporting us to look at our policies to ensure they are robust. This will mean that our practice will provide purpose and strength for both those who work with us and those who we support.

The Forget Me Notes Project is another year older and we are growing up from a new emerging service into a vital organisation for those with a lived experience of dementia and additional needs.

This project belongs to all those who have used it over the last seven years, those who use it now and those who will use it into the future. It is important that we reflect those who use our services and that at the heart of all that we do is the empowering of people.

This does feel like an important milestone in our journey. Your support is a vital part of who we are and who we will become.

Thank you for the part that you have played in our journey.

Monday 10th February 2025

The week began with our team meeting. It is always good to get together and understand what we are all doing and gain a sense of its impact. We are getting ready for our AGM and the next production of our Newsletter.

This past week our music memories sessions included St Bride’s, St Cuthbert’s, Morningside, Eagle Lodge, Marian House, Ashbrook and a new setting for us: Life Care. It is always interesting to see how a session in a new setting goes, beginning to establish new relationships both with those who use the service and staff members. We took a mixture of Scottish songs and songs for Valentine’s Day. It was interesting to see just how quickly people felt able to share their story with us. It was also interesting to see how those with dementia were able to access communication at the level of other participants.

Following our training last week, I produced a paper on the types of dementia and the impact dementia may have. It is always an interesting paper to write because dementia is so individual, and context plays a huge part in the way people respond. The good thing about building relationships with people whether they have dementia or not is that the cornerstone must be respect. When we come to realise that we are all complex, diverse people, then we understand the reason to make room for others who are diverse and complex too.

Saughton Park on Thursday was a great session with a wonderful energy about it. Singing in a greenhouse does have a certain ring to it and being caught up in nature is also something that can be so inspiring.

Talking of having a ring to it. We were at the Festival Theatre on Friday doing some songs for Valentine’s and some from Mary Poppins. The show in the main theatre now is Mary Poppins and some of the cast popped in (I stole that line from Paul who told it on Friday). The singing from the cast was wonderful so uniting together to sing the Mary Poppins songs was just the best. The sound when we sang “Let’s go fly a kite” was unbelievable and the accents when singing Supercalafragalistic (if that’s how you spell it) were so much better than Dick van Dyke. Talking of Dick van Dyke have you seen the video of him and Chris Martin from Coldplay? It is wonderful. I am sure you would find it on You Tube. Dick van Dyke is 99 years old and has dementia. The care with which Chris Martin allows the interview to unfold is just brilliant. The music being a catalyst for a great exchange between the two of them.

Another exciting week to share with you. Hope you have a great week, and I will let you know how we get on next time.

Monday 3rd February 2025

I don’t know about you, but it seems amazing that it is February already.

What an amazing evening on Friday at the Ceilidh. There were so many moments that were highlights during the evening. Over ninety people turned up to share the evening and if you wanted to share an evening of respect then you couldn’t have chosen a better place to be. The participants were symbolic of the song Union of Different Kinds that we sang midway through the evening. What do I mean by that? Well there were people with additional needs, those with dementia, young children of six and others who were ninety-six. All singing, dancing and enjoying their supper together. It was truly a celebration full of respect and love.

I have a lasting image of the dancing when there was a group dance which included the dancing splitting into two lines with a gap down the middle. One couple danced through the middle moving to the top and then back to the bottom end of the line. The beauty of the moment was that the couple dancing through the middle of the lines was a person being pushed in a wheelchair. It was as though they were the star of the show. Pure dead brilliant!

Earlier in the week at a training afternoon we considered how we ensured we gave people power within our sessions. Well, there was the living demonstration of how to do it.

There were so many people we needed to say thank you to that included: Jean and the team in the kitchen who served an amazing Haggis supper. To Kenny and the band for the way in which they provided such an inclusive evening of dancing, to Paul and John who organised the raffle so well. We haven’t got a figure for how much we raised but it will be somewhere around £500.

What we cannot measure the effect upon all our well-being, otherwise called the feel-good factor. One thing for sure is that the energy in the room was wonderful with everyone supporting everyone else to have a great time.

There is so much said about equality and diversity and how a person is worthy of their place. Well, the Forget Me Notes Ceilidh was an example of how to do both, and speaking for myself: bring on the next time.

Have a great week.

Monday 27th January 2025

If you were watching Michael McIntyre on Saturday, you would have seen Peter. Peter is an 81-year-old gentleman whose wife has dementia (she has subsequently died). Peter has gone to see her every day and while there has sung to her and the other people on the ward. Peter said he hoped to give them a lift with his singing. Peter was the unexpected star of the show, and he sang at the end of the programme the song “Smile”. It would not be a surprise to know that Jean had a tear in her eye and so did I. It was a beautiful moment and a tribute to both Peter and his wife.

If you are reading this, you must have survived the weather on Friday. It was scary at times, and I hope that your house and gardens survived too. Paul and I have managed to get two funding applications submitted this week and because I was in all day on Friday, I have been able to write an application to Awards for All which is the National Lottery fund in Scotland.

We had some great Music Memories sessions this week as well as a visit to All singing and dancing, a group for those with additional needs. To call it inspiring is an understatement. I also managed to secure more work going forward with a Day Centre in Leith which is wonderful.

No one would believe that January is supposed to be a quite month!

In the words of my mate John “dementia doesn’t take time

off”. With that in mind then we seek to offer different types of support at different times to different people. We found a song this week sung by the Fisherman friends’ choir; it is called “The Union of Different Kinds”. It is a great song and suits us at Forget Me Notes so well, we celebrate the fact that we are all different and that when we respect each other’s differences, enabling each person to reach the best version of themselves as possible, then we build the best Forget Me Notes that is possible to achieve.

If you have been on Eventbrite to get Ceilidh tickets for Friday and found that there isn’t any left don’t worry - by tomorrow there will be another twenty tickets available.

Hope to see some of you on Friday evening. Have a great week.

Monday 20th January 2025

The preparations for the Ceilidh are going well with several different raffle prizes. We have a Guitar, M&S Vouchers, Meal and Ceilidh vouchers for Ceilidh connections and lots of other prizes. The tickets are going well so if you haven’t got a ticket, you should try and get one this week or you might be disappointed. Kenny’s band are well known for their brilliant Ceilidh evenings so I know it will be a great evening.

We are also getting ready for our AGM next month which means the invitations are going out to both voting and community members. If this is something you would like to be a part of then just let us know.

We completed our sessions at Blenham House with a marvellous Scottish afternoon. We have delivered three sessions paid for by a family who wanted to do something for the residents of the care home where their parents lived until they died. What an amazing gift and so thoughtful. We hope we did their memory proud with Bonnie wee Jeanie McColl and The Jeelly Piece song going down well. We also sang “A man’s a man for a that”. A wonderful piece of writing by Rabbie Burns. The final verse of that song is all about hope for the future and as we have watched those appalling scenes in the Middle East lets hope there are better days ahead.

This week saw us back at Saughton Park and the first filming taking place of the digital project. We hope that in future Facebook posts we will be able to give you some visual examples of some of the things we do which will show the impact of our work in a more complete way. We were also back at Ashbrook this week. It is so good to see increased numbers and people engaging so freely with the session. Cramond Residence on Friday saw an equally amazing session with staff getting into the rock and roll songs with dance moves like I have never seen before.

At our Trustee meeting John spoke about an idea for a project. John and Kenny had delivered some live music in someone’s home as part of a celebration. The idea is that we could offer this on a wider scale. It is sometimes difficult to support vulnerable people being involved in large party groups, but small in-house celebrations or external family bespoke celebrations are easier and worth consideration. We decided at the meeting that this was something that we can do and once we have sorted a budget then we will put the details on our website. If you are looking for a family celebration inclusive of someone who is vulnerable and might find bigger settings more difficult. Then why not give this some consideration.

Life never stands still at Forget Me Notes - we are always looking for innovative ways to promote inclusion and build community.

As the Beatles once sang “All you need is Love”.

Have a great week.

Monday 13th January 2025

The first working week of a new year and we have had a positive start. We have had two new care homes enquire about us working with them. One has already confirmed, and we will start work on the 28th of January. We will need to wait and see what might be possible at the other care home. We delivered sessions at Morningside, Eagle Lodge, Strachan House and Craighall. When we arrived at Craighall we discovered that one of the residents who attends the group was not so well. We decided that we would go and sing to him in his room. It was great to see such a positive reaction to the music as he tapped his feet. Kenny and I got a lift seeing him do this.

On Thursday Libby, Elizabeth and I had a meeting at RS Macdonald, this was to look at our monitoring and evaluation to see if we could find a way of storing and accessing the information more easily. This will be of great help to me when doing funding applications, as all the information is in one place.

We are due to submit a report to RS Macdonald with regard our volunteer project. Elizabeth has completed the report, and it was a joy to read and understand all that has been achieved over the last year. We have been able to complete more than 250 visits to people’s homes to deliver music sessions to those people who have difficulty in attending community activities. Behind this number lies relationships that are both precious and important to those receiving them and their families. One Gentleman who plays the violin enjoys duets with his volunteer. His family have decided that the impact of being a part of a group means that they now pay for private support in order that he can come to St Brides each week. What is so good when the Gentleman plays at St Brides, is that he plays alongside one of our facilitators Roddy who also plays violin. There are times in order that his playing is affirmed that Roddy will follow him and play a piece in time with the gentleman. When I watch him play, I see the impact it has and the joy that he feels is written all over his face. After reading Elizabeth’s report I must admit that a tear filled my eye when I realised the impact that this part of the project is making. I could never have thought that we would be so affective and deliver something so precious.

We now have tickets available for the Ceilidh and we have been looking for raffle prizes. We already have a Guitar, Vouchers for Marks & Spencer’s and various other prizes. I am sure it is going to be a great evening. Tickets are £12 and if you would like to come and join us then just let me know.

Hope you have a great week.

Monday 6th January 2025

When it comes to TV over Christmas, I should have mentioned Gavin and Stacey. If you have recorded it and haven’t seen it yet, then please watch it.  You can also watch the amazing documentary that goes with it and this certainly helped me to understand the story and humour in greater depth. Anyway, I don’t just want to discuss Gavin and Stacey, but in the words of Ness “What’s occurring”?

The opening few days of this year has been all about funding applications. I am hoping I have found a couple of crackers. They appear to fit our remit beautifully so here is hoping. One of the trusts encourages a phone call before application which is what I like. The opportunity of an in-person call can often help the process along well. I intend getting in touch this morning and see where the call goes.

I also have a call this morning with a new Care Home that has intimated that they would be interested in working with us in the New Year and another that has possibilities too.

On the 31st of January at St Brides in Dalry we are holding a fundraising Ceilidh. Kenny’s band will be supporting the evening, and I am sure we will have fun together. We start the evening at 6:30 with 45 minutes of singing together (typical Forget Me Notes) a short break and then into the Ceilidh dancing. That will run from 7:30 until 8:15 with a half hour break for a Haggis supper. At 8:45 we will recommence the dancing finishing the evening between 9:30 and 9:45. All for the princely sum of £12. If you would like tickets, then if you contact me I am sure we can get them to you.

I realise that today may well be the first day back at work for many of you who are reading this post, so hope it goes well.

Happy New Year.

1st January 2025

I wonder what kind of a Christmas you have had. Too much food, drink and Christmas TV?

TV at Christmas is always a challenge in that your favourite programme is always at a different time and on a different day. On the 6th of January it will all return to normal again. There have been two programs on at Christmas that have touched me and made me think. The first was Si King, one of the Hairy Bikers, paying tribute to his mate Dave Myers. There were 46,000 bikers who took part in the journey to Barrow to acknowledge the impact that Dave had had upon their lives. It was very inspiring and the message that I took from the show was that being yourself is always enough. 

The second TV programme was the Princess of Wales’ Carol Service, this may come as a surprise to those that know me!  The message that Catherine shared herself, the message of the Bishop of Westminster and the overall content of the service was beautiful. There was one moment in the Carol Service that brought a tear to my eye when Chris Hoy lit a candle. A candle always speaks to me of light and hope and Chris has so openly shared his story of this last year, he shared with strength and hope for years to come. Imagine how I felt on Christmas Day when Jean gave me the book “Sir Chris Hoy - All That Matters”. I love autobiographies, and this one brings into perspective all the things that Chris has shared over the last few months. They say you should never put people on a pedestal as they will fall off.  Well, I am sure I have fallen off a few pedestals through the years. It’s what you do to get back up again that shows character. I am not worried about putting Chris Hoy on a pedestal and if he were to fall off, I hope I would be there to pick him up again.

The beginning of a New Year is often a time to reflect on the previous year. both the highs and the lows. As a Forget Me Note the lows are found in the people who are no longer with us. The term “Once a Forget Me Note always a Forget Me Note” is not just for now it is for ever. The memories we share of people who are no longer with us are inspiring and the people will always have a place in our hearts. To those who are entering a New Year without a partner, a parent, a friend, then please be assured of our support and our continued thoughts.

When it comes to highs there have been so many, the obvious ones are the two TV appearances that we made. The ones I will personally remember are the interactions with people where through music we received unexpected responses. The gentleman at Marian House whose eyes light up when we appear, the wonderful comments that are made by the wife of a couple we support at Ashbrook. There are so many moments that I could list at the various places we have been throughout 2024, and if 2025 offers the same opportunity I for one will be a happy man.

I wonder what you hope for from 2025? 

Personally, I hope for the opportunity to be the best husband, Dad and Grandad I can be. To be the best Forget Me Note to those that we support. My hope for Forget Me Notes is that we can find some trust funds who will give us some money so that we can continue to be a beacon of support to the people who need us.

Happy New Year!

Monday 23rd December 2024

Two days to go and Santa will have either come down the chimney or he’s come through the front door. Chatting with someone on Friday about not having a tree up yet, I was reminded that there is more to Christmas than decorations, presents and cards, this is a season to value those people who are dear to us and to take the time to tell them. 

This week at Forget Me Notes it has all been about singing at parties and carol singing in the Gyle. One of the best things after singing at parties is the time when we thank day centre or care home staff for their work throughout the year. In the Gyle it was passing leaflets and giving people the opportunity to become a part of Forget Me Notes. Letting them know that there is a place for them if they want it.

I was reminded of a time a few years ago when we were singing at Morrisons, and it became apparent that a lady was distressed. One of my colleagues spent quite a time listening to her story of loss of a loved one. Well, the same thing happened to me on Thursday. I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the lady at Morrisons and I wonder what my support did for the lady on Thursday.

As I have already said, Christmas is more than tinsel and trimmings so take the time to tell someone just how much they matter to you. While you may choose to do that with a present, there are different ways of communicating. So, whatever your method of communication is, let someone know that you care as it can be transformational.

Have a great week.

Monday 16th December 2024

It has been a busy week, along with the various Music Memories sessions this week has seen some extra Christmas activities. On Monday evening we were Karaoke singing with the volunteers for their Christmas night out. It was a great evening, not much solo singing although Edith did do a couple of numbers. We all sang together, and it was true to say we all had a good time.

On Tuesday and Thursday, we were Carol singing with the Choir - Tuesday at Pentland Plants, where it was great to have six additions to the choir and we managed about an hour and a half. Thank you to the owners of Pentland Plants who gave us all a poinsettia, which was so kind (that’s Jean’s present taken care of for another year!). On Thursday we were in the Gyle, or should I say nearly in the Gyle as we were in the cube near Marks and Spencer’s, it was freezing. We had a great reception though and had two lovely ladies join us and they sang with us for half an hour. These opportunities give us the chance to share the story of Forget Me Notes and reach out to others who might benefit from our support.

We got a message from Alex at Capital Theatres to say that they were doing a recording of Gus’s song on Friday which would be recorded by STV and would the choir like to be a part of the filming. On Friday we gathered at around 10:30 at The Christmas Tree and recorded a piece for the news programme. Both Elaine and Ian were interviewed as part of the filming so it will be great to see it when it goes out. It should be this coming week that they show it.

If you haven’t heard Gus’s song, then here is the link. I think you will enjoy it, we think it’s great: https://capitaltheatres.ffm.to/christmaslikeitwasbefore

The song was written by those who attend the group Songwriting Sprint. This is part of The Capital Theatres Dementia support programme which is attended by some of those who attend Forget Me Notes. We are proud of the partnership we have with Capital Theatres - they are all just brilliant.

Hope you have a good week and manage to get all your shopping completed!

Monday 9th December 2024

My friend Dawn sent me this and after doing a post on Thursday I think this clip says all that I want to say. Two beautiful people sharing in the support of each other. In all the festivities of Christmas the message here is all that we need to know.

https://youtu.be/o4OlL0OpbW8

Have a great week. Try and find someone who needs your support to tell their story this week. It will do you both the power of good.

Speak to you next week.

Thursday 5th December 2024

Wow what a day! I don’t suppose you were expecting another post this week and neither was I. Today has been such a significant day not only for Forget Me Notes but for me too.

Today Kenny and I delivered sessions at Prospect Bank, a school for children with additional needs, and what a special time it was for Kenny and me. We delivered three sessions, each one of them different yet each one of them enabled self-expression of those children present. Most of the school children from the school were going to see Cinderella at the Festival Theatre but we were going to the school to work with those children who couldn’t attend. We were also going to tell the story of Cinderella using different songs enabling each child to experience something of the story. The morning was so special because Forget Me Notes have never worked in such a setting before. It was also special because Kenny and I were working in an environment that we had never worked together before. The response of the children was amazing in so many ways, it was so touching and precious.

This afternoon we were at Saughton Park. It was a Christmas session as we won’t be back there before the New Year. The last few sessions have seen two young people with additional needs attend, along with frail, elderly people with a lived experience of dementia and people who simply enjoy singing together. I had a moment in the afternoon when I had to take a deep breath as I realised the inclusive community that we are building together. It came when I watched one of the young people signing to one of our Christmas songs.

The emotions that I have experienced in my own heart today are more than any one heart can contain and has meant this evening taking a time of reflection and response. Reflection as to what brought about the responses to the music and how we can learn in order that we maximise these opportunities in the future. All I know is that the phrase “Happy Christmas” was so powerfully met in what I experienced today.

Sunday 1st December 2024

Another interesting and busy week. Along with Music Memory groups and Choir we had two very different activities.

A housing crisis was identified in Edinburgh just over a year ago and as benefactors of The One City Trust, we were invited to around the table discussion by the Lord Provost where we were to look at homelessness and the housing crisis. The discussions and presentations were all very interesting. We split into small groups and discussed how the voluntary sector could offer services that would assist and support people with issues relating to housing. The beauty of meetings like this is that it helps you to reflect and see how Forget Me Notes provide a community that becomes a vital part of the support people receive. At St Brides we have a Chinese community of five people who attend most weeks. This all began on week one of the St Brides group just eighteen months ago. We were drumming up support and asked a lady if she would like to come and sing. She said that she didn’t speak English, so we encouraged her to come and sing in Chinese. Since that first week she has brought four friends, she sings a solo each week, gives out song sheets and supports the care home attendees. It is so good to see her confidence grow and understand what her attendance at the group means to her. I can only imagine what it must be like to move from a country from the other side of the world to a housing area in Edinburgh where there are known social disadvantages and not to be able to speak the language. This lady has found a community, a home that gives her the space to express herself affecting all aspects of her life and sense of well-being. It is as I reflect on situations like this that I realise just how much Forget Me Notes have to offer when considering those people who are displaced and haven’t a home.

Yesterday (Saturday) we celebrated with Morningside Hope, a day centre in Morningside who support various dementia projects. It was great to see around one hundred people singing and sharing stories of what has been delivered over the last three years by the project. The Music Memories group has evolved and changed in that time with new people and people moving on. It was good to be able to celebrate all that we have achieved together.

We have another exciting week ahead with some amazing challenges that I can talk to you about next week.

Speak to you next time.

Monday 25th November 2024

Once again, I realised just how good it is to work with the guys at Open Door. On Monday I did supervision with Jill. It gave us the opportunity to look at Monday, Tuesday and Friday’s groups and how our project Music for Health and Wellbeing will be rolled out in the New Year. Kenny and I then did our session on Tuesday afternoon at Open Door. It was great and gave us the chance to hear and explore stories of those who attend.

We recently wrote a report for the Weir Trust as we have come to an end of their funding. During this last year we have consolidated three choirs and developed another two so that we now have five services that anyone can come to without a need for referral or waiting lists. The Weir Trust have put our photos and report on their website to show how grants can be used to develop services. It is quite a compliment.

On Thursday we were at Saughton Park learning a new song that we would be singing at an Edinburgh Winterfest event. It’s a great new song written by our friend Gus and will be released on the 2nd of December. The song was written by those who attend Capital Theatres Dementia support programme. Once it has been released, we will give you the details so you will be able to listen to it.

On Friday we held our Trustee meeting which was very productive and will lead to another exciting new development, which I can tell you about soon. I then had a meeting with a representative of Scottish Government. We will be singing in the parliament in March next year. We were discussing the practical issues that need to be addressed if we are to make the most of this opportunity.

Sunday came around and Singing at the Winterfest followed the snow we all got on Saturday. The snow had disappeared by Sunday so the event could go ahead. The Ross bandstand is situated in the middle of Princes Street Gardens so singing in such a high-profile place was great. To be a part of Edinburgh’s Winter Festival will not do us any harm at all. It was good to have so many people singing along to the songs we were singing and to see those shopping on Princes Street taking notice of what was happening. Raising the voices of those living with Dementia is a privilege and changing the world a step at time can become a reality.

Well, I listened to the weather report telling me it would calm down this week. It doesn’t sound very calm right now so take care and we can speak again next week.