Edinburgh choir group Sing in the City have raised £1,250 to support older people through Halloween events

Age Scotland has praised Edinburgh-based choir group Sing in the City and associated radio station, Chief Radio, for their efforts in raising £1,250 to support older people through a variety of Halloween events.

In their Zoom choir rehearsals, Sing in the City encouraged members to dress up and send pictures of their decorated homes, Halloween bakes and arts and crafts. Other activities such as drawing and fitness classes, and guitar lessons, all adopted the spooky theme.

Last week, a Facebook live event offered an hour of dressing up, songs and entertainment, while on Saturday afternoon families were able to join in a free Zoom Halloween party. All those attending throughout the week were encouraged to make a charitable donation if they were able.

Elaine Dove, Sing in the City Manager, said: “If we were at choir as normal just now we would have encouraged our members to dress up, bake some treats for a cake bake at every choir and just come and have a fun evening and donate a small amount to our chosen charity.

The Halloween weekend raised more than £1000 for older people

“Age Scotland was chosen because we have seen first-hand through lots of our Sing in the City members, the effects that lockdown has had on everybody but particularly the elderly who live alone.

“We are certain the total by the end of the week will be over £1000 raised which we think is pretty incredible and takes our total fundraising amount in the last 10 years to over £126,000.

“We have also started a free world zoom choir that anyone can join free of charge and the whole point of that is to bring people together and for them all to experience the joy of singing.”

Chief Radio was launched in August by Sing in the City Musical Director, Kirsty Baird, in the hope of providing opportunities to unsigned artists and people within the community.

The station has now donated over 30 Alexa Speakers to Care Homes all across Scotland enabling residents to enjoy the station’s Rock the Care Home show, on air each Sunday morning. The show is full of music from the 50s and 60s and welcomes requests from residents via care home staff, along with requests and memories from all listeners.

Age Scotland’s Chief Executive, Brian Sloan, said: “We are so grateful for the generosity and creativity shown by groups like Sing in the City and Chief Radio in their efforts to help older people who may be feeling isolated and lonely as a result of the pandemic.

“For many older people, technology has been invaluable to staying connected in recent months. However, around half a million older people in Scotland do not have access to the internet. We all have a part to play in making sure no one is excluded, especially as we head into winter. Just £10 raised will pay for two friendship calls to older people and could make all the difference for someone feeling isolated and lonely.

“We at Age Scotland would like to sincerely thank the teams at Sing in the City and Chief Radio for their support. Music is a wonderful way to bring people together during this difficult time and these fundraising efforts will also help ensure we can provide information, advice and friendship to each older person who needs it.”

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