Dementia NI joins forces with Rock Choir to launch inspirational song for World Alzheimer's Month
Local charity Dementia NI has teamed up with award-winning contemporary choir Rock Choir, to launch a heartfelt song that aims to highlight the power of community, peer support and music in helping people to live well with dementia, and to raise vital funds to support the work of Dementia NI.
The song is a very special cover version of the Miley Cyrus hit The Climb, featuring the voices of 13 Dementia NI members from across Northern Ireland and local Rock Choir members. It will launch on Monday 23rd September, just days after World Alzheimer’s Day on 21st September.
Everyone is encouraged to share the song on Facebook and donate, with all proceeds going towards Dementia NI to help local people with dementia to live well and drive positive change in the community.
There is also a captivating video, filmed during recording of the song at the Belfast campus of Ulster University and starring Dementia NI members and Rock Choir members performing alongside Rock Choir Leader Rachel Coulter.
Interviews with Dementia NI members challenge common misconceptions as they tell their own personal stories of their diagnosis and share what it’s like to live with dementia.
Dementia NI Member Martin Murtagh, 73, from Belfast, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease aged 63, said, “I’m extremely proud of The Climb! I was nervous to begin with, but there was a very supportive vibe between Dementia NI members and Rock Choir members. I felt part of something special and it gave me a great thrill to be involved. Some people think that because you’ve got dementia you haven’t got a voice. We, the Dementia NI members, are proving that we have got a voice and can take part in things and speak for ourselves.”
Dementia NI Member Allison Batchelor, 64, from Belfast, who is living with Alzheimer’s disease, said: “I loved working with Rock Choir on this amazing song. The social side of the project was fantastic. Being part of a choir featuring people with and without dementia, all joining in together, felt good. I hope this shows that with the right support, people with dementia can be included in all sorts of groups and activities. I also think the message of The Climb is very relevant for people with a diagnosis as it’s about realising that life won’t be an easy or smooth road, but you’ll get to the top if you keep going.”
Rock Choir Leader, Rachel Coulter, said: "I am immensely proud to have been involved with this collaborative project between Rock Choir and Dementia NI. Dementia is a condition that impacts so many people's lives, including members of my own family. Those affected can feel disconnected and unseen.
"Music has an ability to connect and unite people and this is especially powerful when individuals are feeling isolated and vulnerable. Watching the Rock Choir members and Dementia NI members work collectively as a team and grow in confidence as the workshops progressed was one of the most humbling experiences of my career. It was moving beyond words and I'm extremely grateful to the energy and effort that every single person contributed to making the project such a success".
Dementia NI Head of Engagement, Karen Kerr, said: "Dementia NI has 15 Empowerment Groups across Northern Ireland supporting local people with dementia to live well. To help us raise vital funds and continue to support local people with dementia to live life to its full potential, you can share The Climb on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DementiaNI and there’s also a dedicated Just Giving page for donations at www.justgiving.com/page/dementia-ni.
All proceeds will go to Dementia NI and all money raised will stay local.”
To learn more about the work of Dementia NI, visit www.dementiani.org or call 028 9693 1555.
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