Burghley Retirement Living and Musical Village are to mark the launch of a new community singing hub in Derby, with a free festive concert on December 14, 2023, at Albany Lodge.
Musical Village are an award-winning community of singing groups catering for people of all ages and abilities in Leicester and Leicestershire, who are now extending their work to Derby and Derbyshire. And unlike a traditional choir, the hubs welcome all who simply love singing and there are no auditions. It brings people together to share the enjoyment, friendship, the mental well-being, and physical benefits of singing, and reduce the risk of dementia.
Musical director Lesia Smaditch founded the Musical Village community hubs after time spent working as a front-line health care worker during covid. Providing public health programmes during this time, Lesia saw the difference singing made.
Lesia Smaditch said: “The pandemic meant my traditional choir were unable to perform and I redirected my time to implementing music led progammes to support people’s mental health and combat addictions. Here, the idea of the community hub was born. My plan was to create a place where singing could be done for sheer pleasure, rather than with concert performances being the goal. And we now operate two hubs in Leicestershire and would like to extend to provide a Derbyshire hub.
She added: “Which is why this is hugely exciting for us. In partnership with Burghley Retirement Living, we are staging an afternoon where people of all ages can gather, sing, make friends and find out a bit more about what we offer.
“Working with Burghley Retirement Living is a natural collaboration for us. I know the huge benefits our hubs bring to older people. Supporting people to stay mentally active, which is so important in the fight against dementia, but also in benefiting mental health generally. The hubs are also as much about meeting up as they are singing, and we play a key role in combatting loneliness – which I know is something close to the heart of the retirement communities that Burghley Retirement Living offer.”
The event is being held on December 14, 2023, from 1.30pm-3.30pm at Albany Lodge, Bramble Drive, Derby DE22 3ZB. Complimentary drinks, festive cakes and singing. To RSVP call 0800 999 1989 or visit https://burghleyretirement.co.uk/locations/albany-lodge-derby/ for further event details.
Marie Buckingham, development director at Burghley Retirement Living added: “For the older people I work with, singing is a hugely important activity. It’s no secret that it lifts the spirits of all involved, and the fact that the hub will be open to everyone from novice to soprano means that it can really reach all parts of the community.
“When we built Albany Lodge the emphasis was not just on offering retirement apartments, but on providing an active and fulfilled way of living, promoting independence, and bringing friendship and support to our owners. I know for many of them, the Musical Village community singing hub in Derbyshire will provide a wonderful social activity to be a part of.
“That’s why we are looking forward to welcoming the group for a fabulous afternoon and I hope that many local people will come along to hear the group sing, and kick start their festive season.”
Burghley Retirement Living’s development, Albany Lodge, is situated within the ready-made community of Kingsway in Derby. Designed exclusively for the over 55’s it features a beautiful collection of 10 one-bedroom and 54 two-bedroom apartments. The communal facilities include two homely and welcoming communal lounges, beautifully maintained gardens, a library, fitness suite, activity room and two hotel-style Guest Suites.
