For the optimists, and now that strict regulations have been relaxed, we are
opening up. For those who are a little more cautious we will continue to be
providing essential support.

As Trustees, we remain upbeat about the direction of DSO and delighted with
the support attracted and the impact of Thursday mornings. We wanted to
update you on progress which we have made already in the New Year but
we are very keen to make visits for presentations to Care Homes, groups &
societies & to tell the successful DSO story so please contact us directly if this
would interest you.

We cannot deny that we have been challenged by the restrictions faced by
the Care sector especially as we all wait for Care Homes to be able to make
offsite visits and to welcome visiting groups. The understandable reluctance
of some to visit us in person similarly tests our resolve, however, we continue to
feel blessed to not only run our weekly sessions but also to continue to benefit
from loyal supporters and advocates of DSO. We promised you in our
previous newsletter that we would not be defeated and we have been
resolute even when faced with Care Homes being confined to their own
base. Zoom has been the source of much comedy from many quarters but it
has enabled us to continue to bring some weekly joy to many.

Although much of our engagement has been with Care Homes we have
been humbled by the fact that, recently, a number of families have joined us
where a family member is living with dementia and still living at home; we all
need to be reminded that carers themselves benefit from the camaraderie
and support of the DSO network so this development has been uplifting on a
number of levels.

Thursday mornings have moved to a new phase with the interaction
between those participating remotely & those of us whose ‘live’ dance
moves and backing vocals, provide comedy moments aplenty; some of
these are now being caught on camera (we hope that you have not missed
the loose choreography of the Morecombe & Wise dance routines nor
Gareth’s evolving subtle advance prompts to alert his helpers (the
“songsheet monitors”) allowing them invaluable seconds to leap around,
shuffle and deliver their colour coded lyrics! Similarly the introduction of a mini
orchestra of musical instruments & the return of soloist singing contributions
have each made the headlines!

We are delighted to report that we will continue with our Wellingborough
venue, the Everyday Champion’s Centre in Havelock Street where we have
met weekly since our DSO inception in August 2019. We have a superb
relationship with the supportive Mica & Sam who run the Centre & who are
working tirelessly to develop the facility as a community hub, work space and
coffee shop. The venue has provided us with essential space for car parking,
wheelchair access, space for socialising and capacity for us to throw our
shapes as well as supporting the level of technology which Gareth requires to
broadcast sessions literally across the globe.

We are looking forward to being beneficiaries from the decision by the
incoming Ladies’ Captain at Wellingborough Golf Club, Sheena Markham, to
support DSO as a dedicated charity for her fundraising efforts throughout her
Captaincy year. On Friday 25th March the fundraising Charity Lunch is a
sell-out and the event includes a DSO presentation by Judith Chapman &
Ruth Bowe.

We continue to benefit from the moral and practical support of our sister
choir the highly successful Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir many of
whose members provide invaluable support in our weekly sessions as
volunteers.

And finally ……………… shortly we will be conducting some market research
across our contacts so that we can gain an up-to-date picture of the current
needs of all of our stakeholders, supporters and beneficiaries as we continue
to support in the best possible way.

Lucy, Judith, Ruth, Cathie, Kathryn, Ian & Garry (DSO Trustees).