Forget-me-not Chorus
Forget me not Chorus were awarded £19,515 for their Forget-me-not Chorus at Llys Elian LL29 8RA, Tŷ Cariad LL22 8LJ and North Wales Community LL18 5TE, where a total of 36 community choir sessions were held for 62 people.
After community consultation, the decision was made in Summer 2025 to move the community sessions from Bodelwyddan to Rhyl so that there were easier transport links for participants and reduced travel times. The new location of the community choir has also allowed them to attract new participants living with and alongside dementia to the service (as detailed in our interim form).
The funding was crucial for the continuation and expansion of the FMNC project in Denbighshire. Quite simply, they would not have been able to continue without the support of this fund. The choir went on to say ‘thank you for helping us share ‘the warmth, care, love, kindness and friendship’ that our choristers value so highly.
They delivered a number of sessions at Tŷ Cariad Dementia Care Centre but the care home experienced significant staffing issues and - despite their best efforts - they were unable to support sessions. So they reached out to other care homes in the area of benefit with 4 taster sessions at 4 care homes in the Denbighshire & Conwy region for 96 people.
This allowed them to confirm Bryn Derwen as a suitable care home to join the programme.
A staff member from Bryn Derwen noted that the visits from FMNC ‘engaged residents in a way little else does and encouraged residents to interact with staff and each other’, highlighting the ‘heart-warming’ effect of the sessions.
A staff member from Llys Elian described how the room comes alive during the FMNC sessions and that they provided a sense of community.
A unpaid carer in the community choir North Wales shared how ‘ the warmth, care, love, kindness and friendships make the sessions thoroughly enjoyable, all in all it’s been wonderful’
Recent charity wide community evaluation found that 100% of service users said the sessions had a positive impact on the wellbeing of the person living with dementia, with 95% noting an improvement in their own wellbeing as carer.
The new location of the community choir (Rhyl) has allowed us to attract new participants living with and alongside dementia to the service because of the improved transport links, and larger population of Rhyl itself.
We have also benefitted from community support in the area e.g. Masonic Lodge.
Stakeholder engagement includes: Age Cymru Dementia Advocacy Project, Alzheimer’s Society, Betsi Cadwaldr UHB Dementia Hub, Carers Trust North Wales, Conwy Council (Social Services), Conwy Voluntary Services Council, North East Wales Carers Service, Age Connects North Wales, Goldies Cymru, Denbighshire Council (Social Services), Dementia Awareness Denbighshire. Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council, Denbighshire Community Navigators.
We have received local support from Gareth Davies MS for the Vale of Clwyd, the High Sheriff of Clwyd Julie Gillbanks, and Cllr Justine Evans who came to watch a recent community performance.
