Entertainment

Singin' in the Rain Katherine Jenkins OBE Performs Live Streamed Concert for UK's Care Homes

Special broadcast is part of Vodafone’s commitment to helping the UK’s older community keep connecting

July 2020:  Vodafone has teamed up with multi-award winning, mezzo soprano, Katherine Jenkins OBE to put on a one-off, live sing-along for care home residents, their families and staff. The event, hosted virtually by TV presenter Angellica Bell was broadcast from Katherine’s garden, and live streamed into hundreds of care homes across the UK and watched on Facebook Live by thousands at home. 

Abiding by the current social distancing regulations in UK care homes, the performance was enjoyed by residents and staff from Anchor Hanover and CHD Living care homes who viewed together in communal areas of care homes or in their rooms if isolating, while families, other homes and people at home joined via Facebook.  Katherine, braved the rain as she led the concert with live performances of classic hits such as A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, We’ll Meet Again, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Here’s To The Heroes and an acapella version of You Are My Sunshine, a special birthday request from a resident, Audrey Grogan, at Anchor’s Blackbrook House in Colchester, who celebrates her 109th birthday this month.  Residents also took the opportunity to sing happy birthday to Katherine who celebrated her 40th birthday earlier this week.

Kristy Smith, Care manager at Anchor Hanover’s St Marys care home in Holbrook said:

Thank you to Katherine for taking the time to help lift everyone’s spirits during these challenging times.  We love a sing-along, and we were overjoyed to share this with the wider community.  We loved singing ‘We’ll Meet Again’ with Katherine as this was our favourite song during our VE day celebrations in May and represented so much of how we have felt during lockdown.  It might seem like a small thing but when we sing together in this way, we find wellbeing is greatly improved for residents and staff alike.  It is powerful medicine for the soul.”

Vivienne Evans, 90, a St Mary’s resident and trained soprano who sang professionally in her youth said:

I very much like Katherine Jenkins and was very proud to sing with her.  I love to sing.”

Katherine Jenkins OBE said:

Singing is so good for the soul so I'm delighted to have given this concert this afternoon for people in care homes across the UK. I love the idea and it's such a joyful thing to be involved in so I hope everyone enjoyed it”.

Sheila Warfield 83, a resident at CHD Living Brownscombe care home in Haslemere, Surrey said:

We had a wonderful afternoon singing with Katherine. She has such a beautiful voice, so to have her sing directly for us was such a special treat and something I’ll never forget”.

Shaleeza Hasham, Head of Hospitality and Communications at CHD Living said: “We were delighted to be involved in Vodafone’s care home sing-along and to see the joy that it brought to our residents to not only hear Katherine sing for them, but also to be able to sing along with her to classic songs such as ‘You Are My Sunshine’. Technology has proven incredibly valuable in keeping residents and the outside world connected, especially during recent months, and we are thrilled to be involved in such an activity that celebrates this.”

As part of a broader programme of activity focused on supporting older people in the UK, Vodafone launches its new Tech Team services today with new features designed to help older generations stay connected.  New services include, ‘How To’ You Tube videos, simple cut-out-and-keep guides and an in-home support service for customers who aren’t able to come in store (coming soon).   In addition a dedicated online web chat service featuring a personal, one way video chat function for customers, so they can see and speak to a Tech Team member is also now available via the Vodafone website.  Vodafone customers who want face-to-face advice on their account or devices can also speak to the Tech Team in our stores.

The easy to follow guides include an introduction to social media, how to video call, how to use WhatsApp, how to use voice recognition and how to download apps, create contacts, make a call and receive a text. Additionally, with 42,575 phishing emails being reported to HM Revenue & Customs in June (as reported in the FT), a huge increase of 74% since January, Vodafone’s tech experts will offer extra guidance on how to spot scams and phishing emails.  Guides will be available for printing at www.vodafone.co.uk/techteam.  Video guides can be viewed at https://vodafone.uk/HowToVideos.

Helen Lamprell, General Counsel and External Affairs Director, Vodafone UK said:

As lockdown restrictions ease,  we are acutely aware that there are groups in society – in particular older people - who are either still unable to venture out, or aren’t comfortable doing so.   We want to help lift their spirits, while also providing some practical support to help them stay in touch with family and friends through technology with our simple how to guides and videos.”

As part of its commitment to helping older people stay connected, Vodafone has also recently announced it will be providing employees with the opportunity to volunteer to Age UK’s Telephone Friendship Service. The service matches volunteers with older people with similar interests to make weekly 20-minute friendship calls. 

 

For any further information, please contact Karun or Anna at Sassy:
karun@sassyfilms.com    |  +44 (0) 7725 940 179  |
anna@sassyfilms.com     |  +44 (0) 7814 971 960  | 

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