A singing group for people with dementia and learning disabilities performed at an intimate service in Hull Minster on Tuesday (September 23). The Hull City Council-run Buckingham Street Day Centre set up the group around six months ago with the aim of giving people the chance to sing hymns they recall from childhood, and it has been a resounding success.
At Hull Minster, they joyfully performed All Things Bright and Beautiful, Give Me Joy in My Heart (Sing Hosanna), and The Whole World In His Hands. Revd Irene Wilson also gave an adapted service suitable for people with learning difficulties, reflecting on the beauty of autumn and being thankful.
Activity organiser Georgia said: “This started off as a bit of a gap filler. We do all sorts of things like games, we go out bowling, to the museums, garden centres, local parks, and things like that.
“There are things they might not remember from one day to the next, but they all remember music and songs. We feel like the activities are really vital to their life and, with dementia, sometimes it is easy for people to stop doing things but it is so important to keep going and keep active.”
Activity organiser Vikki came up with the idea after remembering the hymns that were sung in schools. She added: “While no-one can change the outcome of dementia, with the right support you can change the journey.”
Chaplain Ann Wilkinson is an advocate for people with different learning abilities. “If we have any visitors, my job is to make sure that we are accessible and we can do things slightly differently if we need to,” she said.
Not only did Hull Minster agree to let Buckingham Street Day Centre come in for hymns, they decided to run a small service with Revd Irene and provide tea and cake afterwards to “make it a bit more special”, Ann said. She added: “My role really is to make sure that we change church for people, not that people change for the church – that is where I come in really.
“It has been wonderful to give them the opportunity to be able to sing because they all went to Sunday School when they were children and remember a lot of the hymns and The Lord’s Prayer. It has been really nice to do this for people who need that remembrance of their past.”
Service user Maggie, who is also in the Buckingham Street Day Centre choir group, said: “I enjoy it because I used to love singing anyway. We are all friends and I think that is the big battle with it, if you are friends you can overcome everything.”
(Image: Hull Live)
Revd Irene said: “I was a teacher of special needs, so I am actually used to people with learning difficulties. It is just a natural thing to do, I love to be with other people and trying to bring out in them the gifts that they’ve got.”
After the success of the autumn service and hymn singing, the plan is for Buckingham Street Day Centre to return for a Christmas-themed service. The group will be busy rehearsing ahead of the date.
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