Two carers from London appear on a charity single released this week as part of a campaign to bring communities together and give people the chance to say ‘thank you’ to their neighbours, friends and family.
Zoe Antoniades, from West London and Therese Poteratchi, from Baron’s Court, London are among five people from around the UK invited to sing backing vocals on ‘Thank You for Being a Friend’ alongside legendary performer Tony Christie, who announced in January that he had been diagnosed with dementia.
Therese, aged 29, represents Young Voices, the largest school choir in the world. Her grandmother Rosaleen lived with Alzheimer’s when Therese was a child and some of her fondest memories are visiting her in a residential home and playing the piano or recorder to her and the other residents.
Therese said: “Singing or playing music to my grandmother allowed my siblings and I to bond with her, despite her not recognising us. The experience has left us with positive memories of our grandmother and our visits and was one of the reasons that I studied music.”
Nominated by Alzheimer’s Society, Zoe, 50, is an author but used to sing in jazz clubs and although she now cares for her mum, she has continued her passion for music by contributing to the Singing for the Brain group in Osterley.
Zoe and her mum, Koula, have attended the group for over three years. She is now also an Alzheimer’s Society campaigner who also sings regularly for the group, both face-to-face and on Zoom.
Zoe said: “It’s so good to be part of this because it’s all about raising awareness and removing a stigma and hopefully working towards a cure and early diagnosis as well.”
‘Thank You for Being a Friend’ has been launched by the Music for Dementia campaign for Thank You Day, which is being celebrated nationally on Sunday, 2 July.
Christie has been joined by a stellar line up of singers, musicians and producers including Sting, Nile Rodgers, Graham Gouldman and Graeme Pleeth, many of whom have lost a family member to dementia. They were joined on the recording by a small orchestra from Manchester Camerata, a pioneering UK orchestra and global leader in music and dementia.
All proceeds from the single will go to The Power of Music Fund being convened by the National Academy of Social Prescribing, kickstarted by £1million of support from The Utley Foundation.
Managing Director at Music for Dementia, Sarah Metcalfe said: “We are bowled over that Tony Christie has brought so many talented people together to sing the Thank You Day anthem and share the message that music can help people living with dementia. Sunday is going to be a real celebration, bringing communities together all over the UK.”
Christie, who turned 80 in April of this year, was friends with Andrew Gold who wrote and released Thank You for Being a Friend in 1978. It has been re-recorded with the blessing of Andrew’s wife, Leslie Ann Kogan.
While music is in Christie’s blood, it has been a lifeline to him and his family following his dementia diagnosis and they have all put their hearts and souls into the recording.
He said: “Performing, staying positive and trying not to let dementia affect my life really lifts me so taking part in Thank You Day has been a privilege and a blessing; not just for me but for my whole family, including my wife Sue who’s behind me every step of the way. Sue supports me rather than cares for me right now, but there are millions of unseen and unsung of carers doing their thing every day and this is our way of thanking them.
“I am living proof of the power of music on people living with dementia and I fully support the Music for Dementia campaign and its work with Thank You Day. It is so special that this country has been gifted a day that connects communities with this incredible celebration of people and music.
“So get involved, learn the song, come together with someone you want to thank and let’s sing it together – thank you for being a friend.”
The song will form the centrepiece of this year’s Thank You Day celebrations, as organisers call on the nation to download the song from thankyouday.org.uk/music and join a nationwide singalong starting at 12.55pm on Sunday.
Thank You Day, now in its third year, is organised by the Together coalition, and supported by organisations including the Scouts, Guides, the NHS, Royal Voluntary Service, the Football Association, the Church of England and hundreds more.
The campaign has reached 15 million people since launching in 2021, with nine million taking part in Thank You Day celebrations in 2022 alone.
This year, almost half a million people are set to sing ‘Thank You for Being a Friend’ at festivals, street parties, care homes, community choir performances and on social media sites such as TikTok.
