Cheltenham Charity Concert raises over £1,000 for Alzheimer’s Society in just one night

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May 05, 2015

On Sunday 19th April, the Bacon Theatre in Cheltenham played host to charity concert ‘Forget Me Not’, where an impressive £1,065 was raised for the Alzheimer’s Society in just one evening.

The event, which was sponsored by Sandfields care home, featured performances from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and world renowned mezzo soprano Sarah Connolly CBE. Due to injury, first artiste with the Royal Ballet Company, Pietra Mello Pitman was replaced by the Yasmine Naghdi, a soloist with the same company; and local actress Fiona Fullerton also attended the evening of entertainment.

Sue Jones, who organised the Forget-Me-Not concert, began raising funds for Alzheimer’s Society in 2011. She said: “Hosting the third Forget-Me-Not concert was a very proud moment, the evening was a huge success and yet again we managed to raise an impressive amount for the Alzheimer’s Society, a charity that’s very important to me.”

The Forget-Me-Not concert was created after Sue’s mother died of complications due to Alzheimer’s disease. Sue continued: “After my mother’s death I was determined to do something positive to help with research into the condition. As the third concert comes to an end, it’s brilliant to look back at what we’ve achieved. We look forward to announcing the total in due course and we are grateful to Care UK for supporting us.”

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, and supporting people on their dementia journey is a high priority for Sandfields care home.

Ruth Baggs, home manager, said: “The concert was a wonderful night for all involved. Some of our residents attended and enjoyed every moment. The Alzheimer’s Society is a charity which is close to our hearts at Care UK – 75 per cent of our residents live with various stages of dementia. Therefore we appreciate how essential it is for continued research into the condition and it was brilliant to be able to support such a worthwhile event that will raise funds and awareness for the condition.”

The first Forget Me Not concert was held in March 2011 at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle with the Countess of Wessex as the guest of honour. The second concert was held 18 months later in November 2013 at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford. Combined, these two concerts raised £34,000 for Alzheimer’s society.

The Forget-Me-Not concert will be announcing the grand total raised this year once all donations have been counted.