Joe McElderry lends a hand and his voice to Age UK to volunteer as part of The Big Help Out

Local star joins a singalong group for older people with dementia at Age UK North Tyneside

Singer Joe McElderry has turned his hand to volunteering as part of The Big Help Out 2024 for Age UK, which encourages people to sign up to volunteer to help their local communities.

The Big Help Out, which is aligned with Volunteer’s Week, runs from Friday 7^th to Sunday 9^th June and aims to inspire people to help out and experience how rewarding volunteering can be and the power it has to make a change.

To support the initiative, Joe McElderry brought along his Grandma to join his local Age UK North Tyneside’s Singalong Memories group, a singing group for older people with dementia, on 20^th May. Using his winning singing skills Joe was able to meet with older people and their families and friends, to singalong with songs including Water of Tyne and Any Dream Will Do, in which he performed a solo.

Joe, who has five albums under his belt and has sold over two million records worldwide, said:

“I am extremely close to my own grandma, Grandma Hilda, who has often accompanied me on the road and this is one of the reasons I wanted to support Age UK. The Charity does amazing work supporting older people across the country and it was great to be able to see some of this firsthand in my home region.

“Grandma Hilda and I really enjoyed our time spent at Age UK North Tyneside – I was very impressed with people’s singing skills! It’s clear that groups like this have a massive impact on the lives of older people who may be struggling with health issues or enjoy the social aspect. I know that Age UK wouldn’t be able to run groups like this without the time and help of generous volunteers. That’s why I am encouraging everyone to sign up to help Age UK as part of The Big Help Out and Volunteer’s Week 2024.”

The Singalong Memories Group remains one of Age UK North Tyneside’s most popular groups for people living with dementia. The group is supported by a number of volunteers. This includes Alan, who has been volunteering for over 60 years and recently won Volunteer of the Year 2023 at Age UK North Tyneside’s Employee and Volunteer of the Year Awards.

Of his time volunteering at Age UK North Tyneside, Alan says: "It's the sense of satisfaction I get that's kept me volunteering for so many years. It's very special to see people benefiting from the work done by the organisations I've worked with, including Age UK North Tyneside for the past 13 years. It gives me a focus on life, setting my mind each day on doing what I can, the best I can. Working as part of a team is also enormously rewarding - pulling together and relying on one another to provide services that support older people."

Age UK is reliant on the generous support of volunteers and without them could not be there for hundreds of thousands of older people across the country. Age UK volunteers help to raise much-needed funds to support the Charity’s work and provide vital support to older people, often at a time in their lives when they need help the most.