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DSO Newsletter : November 2023

NOVEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER

INTRODUCTION

One of our original DSO volunteers in 2019 & a stalwart Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir alto from our foundation in 2012, enigmatic poster-girl Sheila has always been a force of nature. We have missed her for the last couple of weeks as she has been pursuing the Dalai Lama in the Himalayan foothills. He bravely managed to hide but these two monks did not as they joined her rendition of My Boy Lollipop!

A visitor who recently came to see what we get up to on a Thursday morning enquired “do you have a party like this every week?”  We all know the answer “Every Thursday is a party with DSO” but when you read through to the final section of this new newsletter we give details of the latest in our acclaimed festive gatherings (the first was the Pre-Covid December 2019). We know that so many of you do not need an excuse for partying or indeed a second invitation but you will find this year’s arrangements at the end of this newsletter.

As Trustees, we continue to encourage you to invite friends & family to join us on a weekly basis. We have been told by inspectors that we provide something which is unique in so many respects & we wanted to remind you that you, our supporters, are our best ambassadors & advocates.  In this context please continue to spread the good word about DSO & speak to us about anyone who you feel might benefit from coming along to join us to lift their spirits on a Thursday.

THURSDAY FEEDBACK

Visitors’ comments that “I was completed bowled over. I am naturally shy but I felt safe & incredibly comfortable” & “We sung ourselves hoarse. It was absolutely brilliant” & “Anyone who is feeling down should go along for the sheer joy of it!” are both invaluable & heart-warming.

We are always interested in hearing your views on our song choices so that we can discuss these with Gareth. Roger Miller, The Tremeloes, The Drifters & Elvis are longstanding favourites; Tom Jones & Shirley Bassey may both be in their 80s but they are alive & kicking in real life & It’s Not Unusual & Delilah have become firm favourites. The word-perfect Thursday morning crew are also mastering some smooth (some would say edgy) ‘Hey Big Spender’ dance steps so. perhaps as a treat they will be joined shortly by tuxedo-attired Bond characters (Alan, Garry & Baz) grooving to Goldfinger & Diamonds Are Forever or will we be happy with What’s New Pussycat & The Green Green Grass of Home ?

On Thursday 9th November, in response to a request to consider themed music & broaden our musical horizons (It’s only a matter of time before we add Yorkshire & Geordie folk songs), we will be welcoming Rushden-based musician Saryu Thakrar who will provide an intriguing saxophone mix of familiar songs & Bollywood favourites alongside Gareth’s inimitably stylish repertoire.

 

FUNDING

We, as Trustees, are committed to providing our weekly DSO as a FREE experience so we continue to pursue a variety of funding streams.

The Wellingborough Rotary joined us on October 12th to hand over a generous donation from their own fundraising efforts “
We like the fact that it’s community-based and there’s an awful lot of people volunteering to help support it”.
The supporting Northants Telegraph article was another example of positive publicity. The Northamptonshire Community Foundation with its commitment to promoting wellbeing in the community, has been similarly generous with its time & support and we are hugely grateful to them. We also wanted to keep you updated on the progress of our recent National Lottery Funding Application. After an exacting process we are delighted to inform you that we have been successful and we are in the process of completing an induction programme which will clarify how this funding will be allocated & how DSO activities will be monitored in the future. We are indebted to Seagrave House in Corby who donated delicious shortbread as a thank you gesture for the weekly joy that DSO sessions bring to their residents .

We all know Thursday morning has an enormous social benefit for all concerned & the Trustees are humbled by every donation, irrespective of magnitude, made to DSO. However, one could not help but be moved by funds received from one of our supporters Julia (who first visited us with her late mother June) from a memorial service for her husband Tony who sadly passed away recently. We all have lasting memories of Tony’s carefree dancing & singing being a real high point in his week – it was a fleeting, unforgettable weekly highlight.

 

VOLUNTEERS

 

We have always been so fortunate to attract a battalion of selfless volunteers – many of whom are stalwarts of Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir – and our newly-created Volunteers’ WhatsApp Group has been a huge success in handling the essential unglamorous logistics of making tea, coffee, washing up & cleaning. We also have the brilliant Jenny & Dennis who have made a voluntary arrangement with Lancum House to ferry some residents via a transport service.

 

DEMENTIA FRIENDS

 

As part of our commitment to raising awareness of the demands of living with dementia & particularly how best to care for & support those in this position, we have continued our programme of Dementia Champions’ training for friends & volunteers. We are grateful for Suzanne Greensmith’s professional insights.

 

FUTURE PLANNING

 

As Trustees we are acutely aware that DSO cannot rest on its laurels & we are determined to meet the needs of all of our DSO friends. Trustees meet regularly to assess our activities & plan ahead in a strategic sense. In this light we are committed to seeking feedback both formally & informally. At the same time all of our benefactors, large & small, deserve quantitative & qualitative data to support our belief that DSO is thriving & their benevolence is making a real difference. Readers might be interested to learn that over the last 6 weeks weekly attendance has been 75-90 in person with a further 8-20 via Zoom.

 

We will be providing questionnaires for Carers & Volunteers to help inform our future planning as well as evidence for our benefactors.

 

And Finally ……………… most importantly we are determined not to lose our reputation for FUN so in order to provide you with sufficient warning, the arrangements for this year’s DSO Christmas Party are: THURSDAY 14TH DECEMBER at 10.30 a.m. …………… As ever anyone & everyone is invited (wearing the obligatory festive gear). Festive carols, Christmas playlist from the 1950s, to the 1980s including Mud, Slade, Bing Crosby, Wham, Brenda Lee, Elvis, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, The Pogues ……… we will need to make representations to Gareth because he is too young to have encountered many of these!!. There will be coffee and Sheila’s incomparable homemade mince pies and sausage rolls afterwards!   We will be filming the singing & sharing the link but would appreciate advance catering who will be attending in person (by clicking on the link in the main email or contacting DSO by email).

 

And Finally Finally …………..our Christmas break will be December Thursday 21st & Thursday 28th which means we will start 2024 on Thursday 4th January.

 

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