‘Welsh Elvis’at dementia care centre
RESIDENTS sing along with the Welsh Elvis as he rocks into their care home
An Elvis impersonator who’s also a hospital chaplain had residents at a dementia care centre of excellence All Shook Up when he paid them a visit.
The Rev Wynne Roberts from Anglesey, dropped by for an hour-long show at Bryn Seiont Newydd in Caernarfon and his appreciative audience just couldn’t help believing their luck. Kitted out in the trademark white slacks and boots, multi-coloured scarves and custom-made shades the be-quiffed rocking reverend thrilled a full-house crowd in the music room with a procession of the King’s hits from the tender Wonder of You and It’s Now or Never to the groovier Blue Suede Shoes and Suspicious Minds. Right from the start he had them singing and clapping along with tunes that many of them recalled from their early juke box days in the 50s and 60s.
When he’s not performing as the rock ‘n’ roll legend Wynne’s day job is as chaplain manager for the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board covering all its facilities across North Wales from his base at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor. Wynne added: “I sing for a lot of people with dementia at centres like Bryn Seiont Newydd and I find that music is a great avenue through which to reach people. Even in the darkness of dementia people remember the words to the numbers they’ve known all their lives and often begin to sing along with me.”