A bit of a song and dance
Meet the Golden Oldies with a song in their hearts
86-year-old ex-teacher Nancy’s life has turned around since she started going to South Bristol’s Goldies sing-along sessions. “It really keeps the pattern of the week for me, when you know you've got somewhere to go,” she smiles. “It's something to look forward to. The sessions give me gratefulness for my life.”
But Goldies has done more than give Nancy friends and an outlet for her remarkable energy. It’s also given her a new family, in the shape of 36 year-old violinist and former Goldies session leader, Lizzie Lipscombe.
Having run Goldies sessions for some years, Lizzie has seen for herself how much they can transform people’s lives: “The sessions are a lifeline, people count down the days to them. Afterwards people come and have a coffee, chat and make friends."
Golden Oldies has received £149,000 of National Lottery funding which has gone towards running sing-along sessions across Southern England and Wales.
“Before Goldies, there was nothing particularly active for older people round here, meeting all these different folk is to do with caring, to do with love. It's people looking after people" says Nancy.
Joining Goldies has given Nancy a new circle of friends, and an active get-up-and-dance alternative to just sitting and chatting.
Golden Oldies charity is just one of almost a thousand across England and Wales made possible by funding from the National Lottery. Each session brings together elderly locals, as well as people with learning difficulties, to sing well-loved classics from the ‘50s and ‘60s.
The National Lottery has provided £377 million worth of funds for 9,894 projects supporting the elderly over the last 20 years, covering everything from lunch clubs and fitness groups to dementia support and homecare visits.
The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,400 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.
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