What are you going to do with all that free time was a question I was often asked by colleagues just before I took early retirement. I shall do lots of volunteering was always part of my reply but at that stage I had given little thought as to what I could volunteer to do. I spotted an advert for CAVA’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair at Warwick Museum shortly after I finished work and it seemed the ideal place to find out what volunteering opportunities were available locally. At the Armonico Consort stand they told me they were looking for volunteers to help at their Warwick Memory Singers group - a singing session for people living with dementia and their carers - and I knew straightaway that it would be something I would really enjoy doing.

The group meets every Wednesday at All Saints Church. As volunteers, our first job is to set everything up for the session. The first half hour is time for a chat over a hot drink and a piece of cake. There are always a couple of volunteers in the kitchen making the teas and coffees, whilst other volunteers are welcoming members, taking drinks orders and giving out name badges. Refreshments are followed by an hour of singing. Each week there is a different theme for the week’s songs. We can be singing an Abba song, followed by an Elvis Presley favourite or a song from a musical.

The volunteers are on hand to give out ‘bells’ and ‘shakers’ or to perhaps lead a group when we sing a ‘round’ but we are also there to join in the singing which is absolutely amazing every week.

The time I spend at Warwick Memory Singers on a Wednesday is one of my favourite times of the week. Like everyone who attends I always come away humming a tune we have sung and with a smile on my face. I am so grateful that I stopped at the Armonico Consort stand that day over two years ago at the CAVA Volunteer Recruitment Fair.