Vicky McClure’s Our Dementia Choir performs as part of Dementia Action Week | Latest news

Our Dementia Choir, created by Nottingham-born actress Vicky McClure, performed at Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust (NUH) to celebrate the start of Dementia Action Week.  

The choir, which is made up of 33 people diagnosed with dementia, launched the start of the awareness week with songs such as such as ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘Stand By Me’ and led a sing-along with patients and staff.  

The visit was funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity, as part of its Arts at NUH programme, bringing art and music to patients, visitors and staff at Nottingham's hospitals.

Best known for her roles in Line of Duty and This is England, Vicky has long advocated for dementia awareness, including sharing the story of her grandmother who was diagnosed with the disease, and pulling together Our Dementia Choir as part of a BBC1 documentary.  

Dementia Action W eek (Monday 19 – Friday 23 May) is a campaign organised by the Alzheimer’s Society to encourage people to act on dementia and highlight the importance of early diagnosis.  

The arts play a vital role in dementia care by offering meaningful ways to connect, communicate, and uplift individuals. Whether it’s music, visual arts, or movement, creative activities can offer a way for self-expression beyond words, helping to spark memory, reduce anxiety, and enhance wellbeing.   

Lucy Knight, Arts Coordinator at NUH, whose role is funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: "The arts can reach people in ways that medicine alone cannot. A song from the past or a shared moment of creativity, it’s often in these moments that we find true connection and humanity bringing great relief and distraction to patients."   

Alongside creative activities taking place throughout the week, there will be a range of activities for patients, carers and staff; from musicians on wards to dementia friendly tea parties, which are funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity. NUH sites will also be lit up blue throughout the week.  

Dr Aamed Ali, Consultant Geriatrician and the NUH lead for Dementia, said: “The Trust has been running a dementia strategy and plan for some time. This week provides a focus for all the activities that are being done and to raise awareness among our staff and for people who are attending the hospital.  

“The choir’s performance today was really emotional for me, I treat patients with dementia, and we look after patients with dementia, and we plan the strategy for dementia, but this is where is becomes real. The singing and how the choir stood up for the last song, it really made me tearful.”  

Jean Eastwood, 76, has been part of the Our Dementia Choir since 2018. She said: “When I get into the choir, I just turn on and it’s the camaraderie amongst all of us.  It's so wonderful.”  

Dementia Action week is supported by NUH’s Dementia Steering group. This is a group of individuals with a diverse experience of dementia, from professionals, carers, researchers and those with lived experience. The steering group aims to ensure NUH are always striving to improve dementia care.  

A n interactive light therapy system, the Happiness Programme, is also being launched, a system that projects interactive games and activities onto bedsheets, ceilings, tables or floors, making it accessible even to those being nursed in bed or with other mobility considerations.    

Chris Baird, Director at Social-Ability who runs the Happiness Programme , said: “We’re delighted to support, and partner with, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching hospitals. It’s a real privilege to see the Happiness Programme being embraced right at the heart of the NHS, bringing moments of joy into some of the most challenging and clinical environments. We’re excited to keep demonstrating how meaningful moments of joy mean better care and better health.”