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.

Tuesday 19th November 2024

We have been a part of the second National Dementia Arts Festival in Scotland, which this year was based in Edinburgh. The Choir sang at the opening reception which was attended by the Scottish Health Minister. We were also able to show a film of our work, have an exhibition stand that featured the volunteer project and do a presentation on music for health and wellbeing. It was also good to meet up with people you haven’t seen for a while. The quality of the festival was excellent with some great films to watch from the group Meeting Places and then a wonderful disco on the Thursday. All round it was an excellent event.

Along with the various Music Memories sessions and indoor choir it was a busy week. I also had the privilege of accompanying one of our trustees to an All Singing and Dancing group on Tuesday. All Singing and Dancing is a group for those living with additional needs. It is inspiring to see how people are given the freedom to move and enjoy the music in a way that is appropriate to them. Kenny who runs the group and I are going to deliver three sessions at a school for children with additional needs based on the story of Cinderella. Cinderella in 30 minutes will be a challenge, but it is a challenge that I am really looking forward to.

The new Dementia strategy in Scotland brings in the community of those living with additional needs and in particular Down’s Syndrome closer together with the traditional support offered to those living with Dementia. Being able to work with this group of amazing people will be a wonderful opportunity for Forget Me Notes and for me. What do they say? learn something new it’s good for the brain. Well, I think I will be learning a lot through this new experience.

We are getting closer to December and those well-known Christmas songs are beginning to be dusted off and used again. By January I think Frosty the Snowman will just about have run out of steam. Talking of snow, I think there is a chance of seeing some this week.

Keep wrapped up and I’ll speak to you next week.

Tuesday 12th November 2024

I didn’t do my post yesterday as we had posted so many times over the weekend that you might have got fed up with hearing from us.

What an amazing event on Saturday. Throughout the Sing-a-thon we sang 133 songs which was truly amazing. Paul won’t need to attend the gym for some time that’s for sure. It was great to see those members of the Forget Me Notes family we don’t see regularly. I think that Jacqui must have danced for at least eleven of the twelve hours, what stamina! Seeing people of all ages sing and express themselves through music was brilliant. You will be keen to know that with the gift aid included we have raised £2000 so far with some money still to come in. Thank you all so much for all your support, it is appreciated so much.

The choir yesterday sang at the second National Dementia Arts Festival. They were great. During the festival this week, we will deliver a presentation, show a film and present our volunteer project through an exhibition of different written and photographic evidence. Forget Me Notes is rapidly becoming a significant player in the Dementia Arts world. This is largely due to all the support you give us.

Take care and speak to you next week.

Monday 28th October 2024

This week saw us delivering Music Memories sessions at Morningside, Cramond, Open Door, Stenhouse, Eildon House and St Bride’s. I promised myself that when I got to 60 I would no longer be a manager and would be found delivering services on the shop floor. I suppose my role is a mixture of some management but predominantly I find myself delivering services and I love it. I even got the opportunity to drop in at Quarries where I haven’t been for six months. The funding to continue to deliver the service has run out, however, Alan has been able to keep the group together on a voluntary basis to ensure that those who need it get access to music.

Tuesday saw me with an office day. These days are rare and when they happen it is about building a to-do list to make sure that as best I can I cover the outstanding issues required. I was able to write a report to the Weir Trust to share with them how we had used their grant over the last year. Reflecting on our Choir project was so good, understanding how things have developed. Not only do we have our Indoor Choir, Zoom Choir and Choir in the Park but we have added another two Choirs as well. I was also able to write my Service and Funding report ready for Friday’s Trustee meeting, at which we were able to confirm another contracted member of staff. The position is part time, but it is a sign of continuous evolvement.

This week we have confirmed that we will be able to deliver three sessions at a school for children with special needs. This is an amazing step for Forget Me Notes and we need to work hard at meeting the challenge that this affords us. The new Scottish dementia strategy means that people with special needs who develop dementia will get the support from a mainstream dementia service. This means that developing in this area will be a big step for The Forget Me Notes Project.

All these things cost money and for that reason we are holding our annual Sing-a-thon on the 9th of November - it will run from 8am until 8pm. If you would like to join us, then you can book a space on Zoom. If you want to sponsor us and choose a song for the request hour, then that would be wonderful.

Here are the links:

Tickets for joining on Zoom: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/forget-me-notes-singathon-2024-tickets-1037772484437

Donations: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/campaign/sing-a-thon-2024

Have a great week.

Monday 21st October 2024

This week has been an emotional week. I told you last week about Peter Cormack dying and I watched the tribute that Liverpool FC have on their website. It was great to hear Peter’s voice and see so many highlights of his career at Liverpool. I then watched Strictly on Saturday and Chris danced to “You’ll never walk alone”, it was so moving. Then I went on the donate page for our Sing-a-thon and read the messages that have been left. One of the messages spoke about a person finding the voice that Alzheimer’s was robbing him of at Forget Me Notes and another who was saying just how much her Dad was enjoying their singing together.

The aims of Forget Me Notes are: to challenge isolation, build community and enhance self-expression. Realising that we are creating environments that enable people to express themselves and find fulfilment in the relationships they have with family through the songs we sing together is simply wonderful.

I went on Tuesday to collect copies of our new newsletter. You can find it on our website with a lovely interview of Jacqui and Robert. Their relationship is truly inspiring. Seeing them sing and dance together just fills your heart with joy.

I always love going to St Brides, the cultural and needs mix of the people who use the service is beautiful. Kenny is on holiday this week and that means I will be filling in for him. It will be a joy to work with Roddy, Joan and Alan tomorrow. We will likely have the assistance of Derek on Violin, Mike singing his solos and possibly Grace singing to us in Chinese.

On Thursday this week we were in Saughton Park in the glasshouse, and we had 45 people, which is 5 more than we had chairs for. Fortunately, there are bench seats round the outside and we could get people to use them. We had three younger people with Down’s join us this week. It is so good to be able to reach those people in the learning difficulties environment. Our new Dementia strategy in Scotland puts an emphasis on those with Down’s who develop dementia receiving support from within the Dementia community. Being able to reach out and share a community where people who are different are welcomed and can feel at home is so important. I am personally so glad that people who are different are welcomed at Forget Me Notes, because those of you who know me will vouch that I am different too. If you can and would like to express your difference in the safety of Forget Me Notes you are always welcome.

Have a great week.

Monday 14th October 2024

Well, this week has been full of highs and lows like being at Blackpool Pleasure beach and a rollercoaster. Let me start with the best bits and to be fair there are a lot of best bits.

On Tuesday Paul and I did a session at a new care home called Blenham House. When you start in a new place you can never be sure how people will respond, either residents or staff. What was clear is that people responded well and those who were verbal sang and shared stories, those who were non-verbal quite clearly responded with movement to the music which was lovely to see. What I am always amazed at is when we ask people for their Co-op number that there are always people who can tell me not only theirs but even other relatives, which is what happened at Blenham House.

We have several things that we will be doing over the next few weeks. One is our Sing-a-thon on the 9th of November. This will be our fourth year of the Sing-a-thon and means that we will sing for twelve hours and ask you all if you will sponsor us. Most of the day is on Zoom with a one-hour session live from the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh.

On Saturday we were part of a wonderful musical performance called Dementia the Musical. It is based on three people who are well known as Dementia activists in Scotland. It tells the story of their fight to get their voices heard within a system that feels it knows what is best. One of the things that we all need to realise is that there is no such thing as people with dementia, only individuals with a lived experience of dementia. Each person has a different representation of dementia, and each person has a voice that will tell you about the way they experience dementia. If we are to be able to offer an environment that offers the greatest support and maximise people’s ability, then we will need to listen to each voice and provide a support that is as different and unique as each person is who lives with dementia. There is no reason why the care we give to people can’t be more individualised, it just means using resources differently. At Forget Me Notes we are committed to help make this happen.

The 11th to the 14th November sees the second Dementia Arts Festival in Scotland. It is going to be a great event and one that we will be a part of. The Choir will sing at the reception as the arts festival opens. We will also be doing a presentation on the Wednesday as well as having a place in the exhibition throughout the week. The impact of the arts festival will hopefully be immense and one that will change people’s perception of the arts and the way in which we support those living with dementia. We are only one of many groups who will be participants at the festival so I know we will learn so much and I am looking forward to learning new things.

As I spoke about the week having lows, I need to share with you that on Friday one of our Forget Me Notes, Peter Cormack died. You may well have watched him play football for Hibs and Liverpool. Peter and Marion have been a part of Forget Me Notes for some time now, singing with us and sharing stories of their lives together. I know Peter’s favourite song and we have sung “Kissing in the Back Row” many times. One song that meant more to him than so many others is the Liverpool anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and no-one sung it with more heart than Peter. Just a few weeks ago I visited Peter in the care home that supported him. Visiting Peter was always great, he usually made it very clear how pleased he was to see me, however this day his response wasn’t quite what I hoped for. I thought I would have a go at changing the mood. In the sitting room with all the other residents and staff doing different things, I launched into singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Peter’s eyes lit up and together we sang. Before long the domino players joined in, then some of the staff and soon we had a choir of voices. It may not have been Anfield Stadium, but I left the Care Home feeling that we had created a community event that warmed my heart. Since hearing of Peter’s death on Friday, I can’t get that song out of my heart and have sung it so many times since I heard the news. When Bill Shankly signed Peter for Liverpool he said, “Peter Cormack is the missing link that we have been looking for at Liverpool”. Not only did Bill Shankly find his missing link, at Forget Me Notes we found our missing links when both Marion and Peter became part of the Forget Me Notes family. As I have said before we have a saying at Forget me Notes “Once a Forget Me Note always a Forget Me Note”. That doesn’t change Peter, you have a place in our hearts forever. Marion, we send our love to you and each member of your family at what must be such an awful time. We are here for you and will continue to sing our songs and tell the story. We have been so honoured to be able to sing Peter’s stories and the stories of those people with a lived experience of dementia.

Love and thoughts for you all this week.

Monday 7th October

If you were wondering where the post was on Monday, I was on holiday the week previous so not sure that I had much to contribute!

This week however has been a busy week at Forget Me Notes. Monday meant supervision at Open Door and meeting up with their new activity organiser. It was good to get the chance to introduce her to the Music for Health and Well-being project as she starts her new job. We have now delivered a music session to each of the groups so we will soon be able to roll out the programme for the year ahead.

I was also able to do supervision with our own volunteer co-ordinator. Reading the volunteer log reports are just brilliant. The volunteers capture so well the relationships that they are building with those they work with. I am sure a lot of this is due to the induction and on-going support given by our volunteer co-ordinator Elizabeth. If the induction is good and clear, then people have a base to build on and our volunteers have done that so well.

In November we will have been at Morningside Hope for three years and we are going to be doing a concert for the community of Morningside to share with them how we are working together. I had a meeting with their co-ordinator to see how we might pull the concert together and showcase those who participate and help with the facilitation of the group.

Tuesday saw us at Eagle Lodge and Marian House. Eagle Lodge is a long-standing session, however due to home improvements we haven’t been able to use the main sitting room for a while. We are now back in the room, and it is good to feel the energy generated from within the group. Marian House is still quite a new session, and we are still slowly building relationships with the residents. It is good when you walk into the living room and people remember you from the time before. We have one gentleman who is without language, but he takes part with so much energy when playing percussion instruments. It is just great to see.

This was our first day in the Glasshouse in Saughton Park, we will now be in there for the winter. What was ironic was that throughout the summer we have had to deal with high winds and sometimes rain. On Thursday we had beautiful blue sky and a mild day. There were between 35 and 38 people present and we had a great time.

Friday saw us delivering our monthly Together in Song at the Festival Theatre. Different people chose songs for us to sing this time. One was a song I had never heard before called James (Hold the Ladder Steady). What an amazing song you really must go and listen to it on You Tube. It’s a fun song and some would say dated. I would say a great song for being able to recall the stories around weddings. Family celebrations always come with energy so hearing the stories of people eloping to Gretna on a motorbike was fun.

It’s always nice to have a break and I enjoyed my holiday. It is always good to get back to work too and be a part of the stories at Forget me Notes.

Hope you have a great week.

Monday 25th September 2024

This past week we have held two meetings with different politicians who we hope are going to be able to help us. They certainly have been very helpful so far with different advice that I think is going to be very profitable as we go forward. Thank you, Ross and Scott.

It was great to be at Open Door on a Tuesday! We have started the second year of the Music for Health and Well-being project, and we now have money to roll out the project to the Tuesday, Friday and Monday groups. We had to stop working with the Tuesday group when funding was cut, but now we are back. It was so good to meet up with those who we have missed. Listening to the stories of those we support is a real privilege so to have to walk away did not send a message that any of us were happy with. Now we are back and can be confident that our work will continue for the next year.

On Thursday we were in Saughton Park. It was a lovely warm day with no wind, this has been so rare this year with high winds on nearly every occasion we have been in the park. The weather brought people into the park, and we had 57 people sharing in song and community. The energy was brilliant, and the intergenerational group included children, young people and older people. A highlight was sharing in the song YMCA by Village People. We had great fun with the actions that is for sure.

I am on holiday this week, so I won’t do a post next week. I do know that more groups will take place at Open Door and the Indoor Choir are preparing to take part in a musical called “Dementia the Musical” which is coming to the Festival Theatre in October. I understand that the Theatre is almost fully booked which is an amazing achievement and will hopefully raise the voice of those with a lived experience of Dementia. We are all so glad to be able to be a part of this ground-breaking opportunity and look forward to the impact that the musical will make.

Hope you all have a great week, and I will try and not relive the song made famous by Sacha Distell “Raindrops keep falling on my head”.

Have a great week.

Monday 16th September 2024

This week has been a different week for me largely spent filling in funding application forms. It’s always fun to try to understand what each funder wants to hear. Although you may be applying for the same thing, each funder needs a variation so sending the same application isn’t an option. It is not only about development and funding new things but finding the money to continue with the work we are doing. These applications were about future development which is exciting and will lead to new opportunities.

Our newsletter will be due in the next week so I was doing an interview of a carer and a person with a lived experience of dementia. We aim to feature their story in this issue so it was good to hear just how Forget Me Notes and music impacts upon their lives.

Thursday was a pretty full day which started in the morning when I was visiting one of our volunteers who is in hospital. She is an amazing volunteer with a strength of spirit like you have never seen. It was good to see her and support her at a time of her need. She is so often the person supporting others. I then had a meeting with Paul and look at various things that we will be doing over the next weeks and months. If you have attended our Sing-a-thon before then you will be keen to know that we are doing this again on the 9th of November. It is always a day of great fun as we sing for twelve hours.

When I got home on Thursday evening I had a very pleasant surprise. I opened a letter that was sent to me and Paul from the Provost of Edinburgh. Following our showcase, one of the Councillors who had been at the event had gone back to a council meeting and spoken about Forget Me Notes. This led to the Provost sending on behalf of the council a letter of thanks for all that we have delivered to the people of Edinburgh. I am sure you will understand when I say I was shocked and overjoyed. Our role is to raise the voices of those we work with and to help tell their stories so that we build a community that has a greater understanding of each other. It is an immense privilege to work with those we work with and when it is recognised that we are doing this well it is pretty wonderful.

My week finished off with sessions at Strachan House and Craighall. I have to admit that following the letter I had a spring in my step and an increased sense of what we are all achieving together.

One of the things I enjoy about being the administrator of the Facebook Posts is that I get to see the names of those people who either love or like the post. There are always people I know and people I don’t. I am always grateful for the way in which our lives have crossed over the years. For those who I haven’t met then I can only look forward to meeting you all some day. It feels like a good week to thank you all for your support, we couldn’t do this without you.

Have a great week.

Monday 9th September 2024

This week I have spent my time between filling in funding applications and delivering services. I ought to include writing procedures which I find quite interesting if honest. I have often found working for organisations that expect people to fit policies and procedure rather strange. It feels as though it is the wrong way round. If a policy or procedure does not encompass the needs of the people it is written for then surely it is the policy and procedure that needs to change as the person may not be able to (I will leave you to reflect).

Writing funding applications is again an interesting task. Trying to see beyond the guidelines that you are given to what the funder is wanting to hear about the project, which sometimes feels like second guessing, other times the funder is clear and it becomes more possible to write an application that has a chance of success. We have a pretty good success rate which is why we have been able to introduce new projects. We recently secured some money for a digital project so we will now be able to produce both video and audio recordings with those we work with, this will enable us to use musical interventions when people need it. It feels like another exciting opportunity lies ahead of us.

Kenny and I were at Marian House on Tuesday afternoon. It’s not a place we go to every month now so we had not been there in August. What a joy when I walked into the room and a gentleman who is non-verbal greeted me with a huge smile as did his wife who was there to visit. It was one of those “glad to see you back” greetings. On Thursday we were in the park at Saughton. We must have had as many as fifty people singing or listening. It was great to have the group from Alzheimer Scotland. One lady is a long standing friend of two people who come regularly to Forget Me Notes and when she sees them her face lights up. The three of them were dancing and singing together expressing the joy that their friendship brings..

At Together in Song on Friday it was a packed house. We were celebrating theatre and film with a whole variety of songs. Songs like ‘Supercalafragalisticexpiallidotious!’ I am pretty sure I have spelt that wrong but the spell check is not helping me out. You all know the song I am referring to don’t you. We also did ‘If I Were a Rich Man’ and the singing was fun and infectious.

In the morning Alan and I were at Ashbrook and we had a visitor to the group from Salon Boom called Rachel. Her role is to listen to those with experiences of dementia and then tell their stories in ways that will enable us to learn. We decided that we would introduce ourselves to Rachel through the songs we had chosen. Singing a song and then sharing how we had come to Forget Me Notes and what it means. I come to Forget Me Notes each week to learn from others and I wasn’t disappointed on Friday. I heard people share stories of Covid and how Forget Me Notes had been there for them in dark days. I heard people talk about the songs we sing but I heard even more about the relationship we share. I discovered that one of our group took part in the Morecambe Music Festival, a festival that played an important part in my life when I was younger. I played in a brass ensemble and told the group a part of my story. It was at that point one of the group spoke about how they experience the group at Ashbrook and described the group as an “Ensemble of Support”. Could there be anything better than that?

In all that we have tried to achieve at Forget Me Notes, to be considered as an “Ensemble of Support” is simply wonderful. If I am honest there was a tear in my eye and a smile in my heart as I listened. While listening I realised that what we aspire to be has been reached for different people at different times and I was truly humbled.

I hope we can continue to be that “Ensemble of Support” to people this week and I hope you can be a part of someone’s “Ensemble of Support” too.

Have a great week!

Monday 2nd September 2024

One of our new volunteers has given talks for Marie Curie for quite a few years now. He offered to do the same for Forget Me Notes and would take his talk to the Guilds first and then see what might evolve. For this to happen, I had to do the slides and make them Forget Me Note friendly which was a lot of work. However, as I did this task it was interesting to reflect on all that we offer, including the number of people who each month are supported by The Forget Me Notes Project. It might surprise you to know that more than 450 people a month use and enjoy the variety of services we offer.

One of those services is a new Music Therapy service and this past week Paul and I were delivering an orientation session to Music Therapists who we will then match with those people who will benefit most from this service. It is exciting to be able to build this project. We have always seen Forget Me Notes as a bridge from using music for entertainment to using music therapeutically.

Also this week we held a meeting with one of our Music Facilitators to see how we might make further steps in developing the service. I was delighted when Kenny rang me to say that he had received a call from a special needs school to say they would like to work with Forget Me Notes. The new dementia strategy for Scotland brings those with Down’s Syndrome who are more prone to dementia into the mainstream of dementia support. I have a particular desire to work with those with Down’s as my granddaughter is someone who lives with Down’s.

I also had a meeting with Rachel. Rachel works for a group whose role is to highlight people’s stories and she would like to help tell the stories of those people who use our services.

There is a new musical touring Scotland in the autumn called “Dementia the Musical” and we have been asked to provide some voices for the production, it will be fun to be involved. Raising the voices of those with a lived experience of dementia is vital if we are to build a world that is more inclusive of those who are different. The truth is of course that we are all different and unique. It is also true to say, as they say in Scotland, “We are all Jock Tamson’s bairns” so supporting each other is the responsibility of us all. I hope that as we evolve, we will grow to understand in all its fullness of what it means to be human. It could be such a different world.

Have a great week and look after each other!

Monday 26th August 2024

We have to say a huge thank you to Foresters Financial and Karen and her family. They have managed to secure a community grant of £600 for us to purchase a battery operated PA system. We have had great use out of our original system which we have used at Saughton Park and wherever else we’ve been that needed amplification. This new system will be well used and something that will help us immensely.

I got an amazing surprise on Thursday when I came home after the Indoor Choir and Stenhouse Music Memories session. I opened an envelope to find a £1000 cheque sent to us from Wise Music Foundation. I sent a letter of thanks straight away. It was so generous and will be well used, we promise. Is it too simplistic to say if you look after the quality of the work you do, then the finances will take care of themselves. Perhaps there are one or two more issues to look after but I think there is truth in the thought that finances, relationships and quality are linked to good practice.

This week’s Music Memories included St Bride’s, St Cuthbert’s, Eagle Lodge, Open Door, Stenhouse and Eildon House. There were some lovely highlights at each of the places we have been. John has developed great relationships with two guys at Eagle Lodge. They are both Hibs supporters so with John being a Hearts fan you can imagine the banter. The great thing is that these guys remember John and the banter each time we visit. At Open Door we were doing a session on music to relax to. The response from those there was interesting. We spoke about music without words and Paul played some music for us to listen to. It was lovely to just breathe and let the music wash over you. Those there really enjoyed what Paul played and wished that it had gone on longer. At Eildon House we sang the song Wonderful World, and one of the residents who is non-verbal had the biggest smile you have ever seen during the song. As Kenny said to me, we cannot know what memories she was experiencing but we do know they were memories that caused a wonderful response.

We also had a trustees meeting on Friday. It is always good to look and reflect on work done and then project on work to come. We have been working on a development plan that will take us forward for the next three years. The development plan covers each of the projects that we are committed to. Music Memories, Volunteer Project, Choir Project and the Music Therapy Project. It is really good to have this in place as we now have a focus that will cover our fundraising, policy and practice. To those of you who might be wondering if we are going to have a Sing-a-thon this year, well we are. It is going to happen on the 9th of November and the good thing to know is that Paul’s sister will be present.

There is never a dull week at Forget Me Notes so we will see what happens this week. Hope you have a great week too.