In late 2019, I was commissioned by Emma Trounson, Music Director of All Saints’ Parish Church, Loughborough, to join her at a local residential care home for the elderly.  

Our purpose was to gather residents’ memories of Christmas and use them to create a piece that could be performed at the annual Parish Church carol service in December. 

We visited the home on a crisp, sunny mid-winter’s afternoon and had a great time, Emma playing carols for us all to sing and myself prompting people’s memories with perfumes, candles and spices reminiscent of Christmas, photos and Christmas decorations, new and old, bells and many other tactile objects to spark people’s imagination and take them back to their younger times.  

Back home, I worked the memories into pieces of prose and Emma created a musical arrangement to go with them.

Emma and I performed the piece together at the Mayor of Charnwood’s Community Carol Service on Wednesday 18th December 2019. The mayor’s chosen charity at the time was Dementia UK and the collection taken during the service was donated to that charity.

Later, Emma created a film of our Christmas pieces and uploaded it to YouTube, to extend the life and breadth of the memories we collected from people that sunny November day. It was truly a privledge, and one I hope never to forget.

You can find information about Dementia UK’s Admiral specialist nurses here.