Brody Swain

My mate and Coventry Musical Theatre legend, Dave Willetts, joined me on my afternoon show recently to talk about his project ‘Singing for the Brain’ and his new charity CD - Memories of a Mellow Christmas.

Part of a UK-wide initiative by the Alzheimer’s Society, Singing for the Brain uses singing to bring people together in a friendly and stimulating social environment, allowing those with Dementia to express themselves and socialise with others in a fun and supportive group. Throughout the country, the running of local groups depends on the dedication of volunteers and supporters, and the success of the Coventry group is largely thanks to the efforts of Dave.

Dave first heard about Singing for the Brain around five years after watching a TV programme and reading an article about it in a magazine. Inspired by what he had learned, he decided to investigate about becoming a volunteer.

He rang the Alzheimer’s Society, who told him that they didn’t have a group in Coventry.

Dave couldn’t believe that despite being one of the biggest cities in the country, we didn’t have a local group, so he worked hard to set one up. It took about 12 months to get it going, but now five years on, and they are the best-attended Singing for the Brain group in the country and meet the first two Mondays of the month at Queens Road Baptist Church.

The project has been so successful that Dave started to look into other ways to bring some calm and enjoyment into the lives of those living with the condition.

That is when he decided to set up The Dave Willetts Foundation. To this end, Dave has created the ‘MEMORIES’ series of CDs, with every single penny from the sale going back into the foundation to help fund future projects.

The second CD, Memories of a Mellow Christmas, is available now and features 12 festive favourites, including Santa Claus is Coming to Town and White Christmas.

To find out more about Dave’s brilliant work with Singing for the Brain and his new CD, visit Davewilletts. com.