08/04/24

Saturday 20th April, 7.30-9.30pm

'Music for Spring' - A concert by Edinburgh Brass Band and the Forget Me Notes Choir

Edinburgh Brass Band are delighted to be performing a light spring concert with special guests the Forget Me Notes choir at St John's Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 4BJ.

For FREE tickets and info, please follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-for-spring-tickets-867702941857

(Please note: Choir members don’t need a ticket but friends and family attending will.)

06/03/24

As The Forget Me Notes Project grows and develops, we are looking to expand our current group of trustees. Trustees are responsible for governance and strategy, and for making sure that the charity is administered effectively. You can read more about the role of a trustee here: https://www.oscr.org.uk/managing-a-charity/trustee-duties/

We recognise that each person brings with them different experience and interests, and these help to build a strong team. At the current time, we are particularly interested in recruiting trustees who may have a background in finance, business or fundraising, as well as an interest in the work that we do. Trustees currently meet once per month (via Zoom) plus occasional meetings in person (including our AGM) in Edinburgh.

If you would like to chat more about this opportunity and how to apply, please contact admin@forgetmenotes.org.uk

Morningside Hope - Afternoon Concert

Saturday 2nd March 2024 at 2pm, Morningside Parish Church

Our friends at Morningside Hope are holding another of their dementia friendly concerts in early March, and they very much hope you can join them! The concert features Morley Whitehead, Organ and Vocal Soloist, is open to everyone and will last approximately 45 minutes. There will then be the opportunity to enjoy teas and coffees afterwards, through in the hall. Entry is free, donations are welcome. All donations will go to Morningside Hope Dementia Project.

For further information contact Jacqui Lindsay on 07834 364628 or email pastoralassistant@morningsideparishchurch.org.uk

http://morningsideparishchurch.org.uk/dementia-friendly-concert-saturday-2nd-march-2pm/

Sing-a-thon 2023 update!

The third annual Forget Me Notes Sing-a-thon was a huge success! The total raised through online donations and sponsorship was £2,680 which, with gift aid, will become a total of over £3,000!

This is a fantastic amount that will really help Forget Me Notes in its work and we are hugely grateful to each and every person who took part, donated money, and made the day such a celebration and success. Thank you!

The Forget Me Notes Sing-a-thon is back! Returning for a third year, we will once again be singing for twelve hours on Saturday 28th October to raise money for The Forget Me Notes Project. Join us from 8.00am - 8.00pm on Zoom, or between 1.00pm - 4.00pm in person at Ashbrook (492 Ferry Road).

To sponsor us, please click here and remember to request a song for our Requests Hour!

To register to join us online, for as long or short a time as you’re able, please click here

We are excited to be recruiting an Administrator. This will be a part time (10 hours per week) post and will involve providing administrative support across all of the charity’s activities.

To see the full advert and job description on the Goodmoves website please click here. The closing date is Friday 25th August 2023. Please spread the word!

SUMMER HOLIDAY!

Alan & Paul will be having a summer break from 3rd - 16th July 2023 so, during this time, no choir or music memory sessions will be running. Our Volunteer Project will continue as usual.

EDINBURGH SINGS - A celebration of community singing

On Monday 19th June at 7.30pm at the Usher Hall our friends at the Love Music Community Choir are joining with some other choirs, including a Ukranian choir and special guests including the wonderful Karine Polwart, in a celebration of community singing. Tickets are available from www.usherhall.co.uk (Box Office 0131 228 1155).

The concert will also be available to watch online as well as in person at the Usher Hall. For details of how to watch in this way go to www.lovemusic.org.uk/events.

FORGET ME NOTES FILM

On Tuesday 10th January 2023 we will have the first showing of a new film, made by the University of the West of Scotland, about the work of Forget Me Notes and how music can benefit people living with dementia.

This event will be live-streamed via Zoom. If you would like to join us on Zoom please email paul@forgetmenotes.org.uk and we will send you the joining details.

A HUGE THANK YOU!

Our Singathon in November was a great success, a wonderful day enjoyed by many, and has raised a total of over £2,600 (including gift aid). We are grateful to everyone for their generosity in helping us achieve this total.

It’s back! On Saturday 12th November we will be holding another Sing-a-thon. We will be singing from 8am - 8pm. Watch this space for details on how to get involved and how to donate.

We are thrilled to announce that The Forget Me Notes Project has been shortlisted for a Scottish Charity Award!

We have been shortlisted in the 'Digital Citizen' category, for our work in moving our choir online during the pandemic, and for how it has now become a key feature of what we do.

We have also been shortlisted for the 'People's Choice' award ... and this is where you can vote for us!

If you click on this link, just follow the instructions at the bottom of the page. You will be asked for your email address and that is it!

https://scvo.scot/scottish-charity-awards/vote/2022/digital-citizen/the-forget-me-notes-project

Please forward this to anyone who you think would like to vote for us. Voting is open until Friday 20th May.

It is a huge honour to have been shortlisted. Forget Me Notes is all about people, so thank you to each and every one of you for all you contribute to Forget Me Notes and for your support.

14/10/21

We had a wonderful time for Together in Song, our collaboration with Capital Theatres, funded by The Paul & Nick Harvey Fund. You can watch the concert here:

10/9/2021

We’ve now done 2 concerts as part of our Together in Song collaboration with Capital Theatres series generously supported by the Paul & Nick Harvey Fund. We’ve had a great time singing songs curated by our members and written by participants of Capital Theatre’s Tea & Jam sessions. Whilst we haven’t been able to open the concerts up in person, we have been able to broadcast the concert via Zoom thanks to the wonderful technical team at Capital Theatres. Our next concert will be on Monday 11 October at 1400 where we’ll be singing another curated list along with two new tracks from the Tea & Jam crowd. If you’d like the login details for the concert, please contact Alan@forgetmenotes.org.uk

FORGET ME NOTES AT THE BANDSTAND!

We had a wonderful time at Saughton Park Bandstand recently, where we sang together, outside and distanced. It was wonderful to sing together.

13/05/2021

We are delighted to report that we have received a significant grant from The Paul & Nick Harvey Fund. This will help to fund the choir, re-start our Music Memory Sessions and develop a really exciting new piece of work in conjunction with the Festival Theatre, where we will create a series of concerts that celebrate a person through their own playlist.

You can read more about the funding through Music For Dementia at https://musicfordementia.org.uk/.

We are taking part in the Kiltwalk! This year, everything is different, so we have decided to embrace that and hold a virtual SING-A-THON instead. From 8am - 8pm on Saturday 24th April we will be singing continuously (on Zoom) to raise money for The Forget Me Notes Project.

If you’d like to get involved you can click here (takes you to the Kiltwalk website) and raise money on our behalf.

Alternatively you can sponsor us by clicking here.

The wonderful thing is that the Hunter Foundation will add a further 50% to anything that is donated!

And watch this space for details of how to get involved on the day.

20/04/2020

FORGET ME NOTES DURING COVID19

These are challenging times for everyone. As you can imagine, The Forget Me Notes Project has had to temporarily stop all of our Music Memory Sessions, as the various venues are currently on lockdown.

However, we are pleased to say that the Forget Me Notes choir is continuing! We are running choir sessions every Monday & Thursday at 2.00pm on Zoom. We email the songs to everyone in advance, and then are able to sing together and enjoy each other’s company.

One of the aims of our charity is to combat isolation, and we hope that these regular choir sessions offer a small opportunity to help make people feel more connected.

If you would like to join us you would be more than welcome. If you have access to a computer / smartphone / tablet we can talk you through how it all works. Please get in touch with us via the website, email, or you can phone Alan on 07588 894587.

18/05/2020

On 18th May 2020 our Zoom choir had an international flavour as we welcomed some new friends from Italy!

A charity called AIME (https://www.aimareggioemilia.it/) provide services for people living with dementia in Northern Italy, had heard about what we are doing, and wanted to see for themselves how our Zoom choir works. It was wonderful to welcome Stefano, Renata and Linda, and have them sing with us.

They commented, “Many thanks for letting us take part in your online meeting. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know you all and see what you are doing. We are now even more enthusiastic about the possibility of doing something similar in Italy. Arrivederci! Stefano, Linda & Renata”

It is wonderful to share what we are doing internationally.

Remember that our Zoom choir is open to all. Please get in touch with us for further details.

02/09/20

We are really happy to have been selected by the Aviva Community Fund as one of the projects they are supporting. The money raised will help us to keep running our dementia-friendly community Zoom choir over the coming months. If you would like to donate to this fund, please visit: http://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/32aefda5386c276a1b7809cb996faafa

29/9/21

Thanks to the Life Changes Trust, we are developing our services even further. We are launching a volunteer service aimed at taking music into the homes of people living with dementia. Music that will be delivered not only for fun but for increased health and wellbeing.

We are looking for a Volunteer Coordinator to recruit and manage volunteers. With the support of senior staff, you will recruit people who are appropriate for the role of volunteer and train, motivate and inspire them to work alongside people with dementia and their carers in their homes. You will be responsible for matching volunteers to people, ensuring they are supported to be enthusiastic and encouraging to the people who use the service. You must possess excellent organisational skills, have an understanding of safeguarding, and have the ability to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

The post is for 10 hrs per week with a salary of £6,500 pa (£22,750 FTE @35 hrs/week) and is a 1-year fixed-term contract in the first instance. Please contact karen@forgetmenotes.org.uk for a copy of the job description or if you would like an informal chat about the role please contact alan@forgetmenotes.org.uk. The closing date for applications (CV and cover letter) will be midnight on Friday 22 October.