Goldies Sing&Smile

On the 26th May the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) announced the approval of two new grants for Somerset charities. This takes the total MCF grants to Somerset charities to well over £100,000 for the first five months of this year. The Brethren of Connaught Freemasons Lodge were delighted to learn that one of these charities is the Goldies Sing&Smile – Radstock that will receive £15,000 over 3 years.

The Golden-Oldies Charity, established in 2008 and known as “Goldies”, delivers fun, daytime social Sing&Smile community groups, supporting physical health, wellbeing, and independent living by combating loneliness and isolation. The majority of attendees live alone or care for a loved one, many attendees have early onset Dementia or Alzheimers, many have poor mental health and physical ailments.

On the morning of Wednesday 12 July, I had the pleasure of joining their session at the Conygre Hall, Timsbury. The singalong and the line dancing was enthusiastically led by Trustee Susan Crick, supported by her husband and Chairman of the Trustees John, and Emma Shearman, the Charity’s Operations and Fundraising Manager. The group was interested to learn that the MCF is funded solely from the generosity of individual Freemasons, as is the Lodge Charity Account, and not from public street collections or similar.

During the tea break I took the opportunity to talk to one or two who explained that living on their own it gave them an incentive to get out and have a bit of fun with their friends. Fun it certainly was and very lively it was too. A great time had by all.