Care home's elderly record charity Christmas song

A woman who had panic attacks whenever she thought about going outside her care home, bravely stepped outside the building for the first time to record a Christmas song for charity.

Jean Thorpe, aged 86, was one of 12 residents from Kingswood Manor Care Home in Liverpool who ventured out to a recording studio to lend their voices to their own Christmas song ‘It’s more than ….’

The residents, the oldest of which is aged 95-years-old, all have different care needs including dementia but their own memories of Christmas past were captured in the song's lyrics.

The care home's collaboration with local school children led to the song being recorded at Liverpool’s Parr Street Recording Studios to raise money for the homeless.

'I've noticed a change in the residents'

Jill Smith, the home’s activities co-ordinator, who worked with the residents to develop the song, said: “I’ve noticed a change in the residents. They have become more confident. Jean wasn’t going out. She’d get very nervous about it.

"She’d get panic attacks. Her family had been trying to get her out for ages and when she was singing the song I told her: ‘You do realise we have to go outside to go to the recording studio don’t you?’

“But she wanted to see this through to the end. The day we went out, she said afterwards ‘I’ve had a lovely day.’ Now she goes out. Her family are so over the moon about it!”

Spirit of Christmas is 'not all about the gifts'

Ms Smith said of the lyrics: “The song is about the spirit of Christmas. These days, even with my 16-year-old, its feels like it’s all about the gifts for children. During the war, you could get someone bringing out a piano on the street and have a sing song. There was a community spirit.”

With lines like “Its more than the just the stockings and the gifts. It’s more than just the lights on the trees. It’s about the love and the memories. It’s about you and me’, the residents are heard singing with 20 children aged 11-16 years-old from Springwood Primary School and The Christian Fellowship School.

Fellow care home resident 82-year-old Evelyn Manley sings a solo part at the start of the track, while a 15-year-old schoolgirl sings a solo part three quarters of the way through the track.

It's more than . . . from Christian Fellowship School on Vimeo.

Ian Forshaw, regional operations manager at Harbour Healthcare, who wrote the music with the schools said: “All have been working together and spending time together which has been a gift for all involved.

“It very much demonstrates what those who suffer dementia can achieve, and how polar opposites can produce a wonderful life experience. I think all would agree that this is a wonderful therapeutic and enlightening life lesson.”

The song 'It's more than...' by Kingswood Manor and Friends is available to download on iTunes for 79p and Spotify.

Money donated for the song JustGiving page will be given to homeless projects in Liverpool (including the Jericho Project and Victory Outreach) to provide practical help to those living on the streets this winter.

click here for more details or to contact Kingswood Manor Care Home