NG15 July/August 2020

sing along with ellie is a big hit in care homes
by NG Magazines
Ellie Fessey has been busy during lockdown, live
streaming sing along sessions into care homes
and it’s proved to be a massive hit!
Residents and staff have really enjoyed the sessions
and the feedback has been really good. Even with
a few teething problems with the technical side
of things, Ellie has now reached out to all of the
care homes in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and
Chesterfield. One problem that kept cropping up
was the lack of equipment required to do the live
streaming (laptop with built in webcam and good
Wifi internet access). So Ellie’s husband suggested
making a DVD, using the webcam she bought for
the live streaming, to record the sing along session
within a little home studio.
Almost all care homes have a DVD player and now
all they need to do is put the DVD in and press play!
Ellie says; “this is a perfect solution for the residents
and the staff who are very busy during these difficult
times and might not be able to devote as much time
to recreational activities as they would normally.”
Fast forward six weeks and Ellie, with help from her
husband and friends, has now produced a DVD and
songbook. These are now for sale on her very own
website: www.singalongwithellie.co.uk, there is
a sample video of the DVD there for you to view for
free. Ellie has invested a lot of her savings into this
project and is keen to publicise it to all our readers.
You can also check out her facebook page “Sing
Along With Ellie “.
Ellie’s determination to reach out to residents in care
homes is fuelled by a painful personal experience
as she lost her mum recently to cancer. However,
because she was in a nursing home where there had
been confirmed Covid-19 cases, Ellie and her family
were unable to visit her during the last few weeks of
her life.
All of Ellie’s singing work has come directly from
her mum. Ellie explains; “we had countless sing
along sessions together for years, whether in
organised groups, in my car or just sitting at her
bedside, we always sang together. She always has
been and always will be my inspiration. Her journey
through dementia has been really tough, I can’t
begin to explain the impact this has on the person
and their loved ones, utterly devastating physically
and emotionally. So I am determined to make my
sing along sessions happen one way or another, as
I have witnessed time and time again, how music
breaks though so many barriers for people living with
dementia or indeed people without it.”
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