Coo blimey! Pigeon fanciers raise £1,500

A gala night for pigeon fanciers has given the  Alzheimer’s Society something to coo about, thanks to County Durham musician, Jim Tait.

The 70-year-old, of Sherburn Village, is one half of the duo Babe Magnets, who perform regularly at Singing for the Brain sessions in Spennymoor, run by the Alzheimer’s Society.

And last week he handed over a cheque for £1,500 to the charity, raised at the British Homing World Show of the Year in Blackpool last month.

Jim produced and compered the event at the invitation of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, and was delighted when it chose Alzheimer’s Society as its charity beneficiary.

He said: “I was stunned when they told me how much had been raised on the evening. I was expecting something in the region of £200.

“I nominated Alzheimer’s Society because of my close association with the charity – me and my fellow musician, Alan Prudhoe perform regularly at Singing for the Brain.

“Between us we have more than 100 years of experience entertaining people, so volunteering for Alzheimer’s Society is our way of giving something back to the community.”

Rowena Carr, a Dementia Support Worker, accepted the cheque from Jim and Alan on behalf of Alzheimer’s Society.

She said: “Babe Magnets are fantastic supporters of the charity – they perform every fortnight at our Singing for the Brain sessions in St Andrew’s Church Hall.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that Jim has also helped us to secure this donation. 

“We rely heavily on the public’s generosity to help us support people living with dementia, as well as investing in research to improve treatment and ultimately find a cure.”

There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, including almost 7,000 in County Durham. The national figure is set to reach one million by 2021.

The condition is now the UK’s biggest killer, with someone developing it every three minutes.

Singing for The Brain is on every other Wednesday at St Andrew’s Church Hall, beginning at 1.30pm with tea, coffee and biscuits. The singing starts at 2pm until 3pm.

The group is for anyone who has a diagnosis of dementia and their carer to come and spend time with people who understand their situation. 

They sing a variety of songs from the past and also take requests if there are particular songs or artists that people like.

It is a completely free service so accessible to all, although any contributions are always gratefully received.

If anyone would like further information they can contact Rowena Carr on 0191 389 0400. 

The group next meets on Wednesday 7th March.