A dementia-friendly choir in Dumbarton are marking Dementia Awareness Week with two exciting performances.

Members of Alzheimer Scotland’s Every Voice Choir in West Dunbartonshire will open the Alzheimer Scotland Annual Conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Monday.

Then, on Wednesday, June 5 the group will be putting on a special performance with Scottish Ballet at St Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Dumbarton during their annual summer concert.

For the latter show, which is a ticketed event, a duet of dancers from Scottish ballet have specially choreographed a performance to accompany one of the choir’s songs and the whole church will be transformed to accommodate the display.

In preparation for the big event, last week the choir was invited to Tramway in Glasgow along with their choir master Bryan Marshall for a rehearsal and to tour the premises, while the BBC filmed for the documentary they are making to mark Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary.

Read more: Community choir to perform with Scottish Ballet

Fiona Kane, a dementia advisor for Alzheimer Scotland in West Dunbartonshire, told the Reporter: “It’s been completely hectic, but it’s going really well and everyone is so excited.

“It’s going to be spectacular. It was really emotional going there (Tramway), but it’s been a really good experience and everyone is just buzzing.”

The choir, which was set up in September 2016, received the news earlier this year they were one of five community organisations in line for a special experience as part of the ballet’s landmark birthday celebrations.

The judges chose the final five based on their inspiring individual stories and their impact on the wider community.

In addition to the above activities Alzheimer Scotland will also host a drop in café at the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Office on Carrochan Road in Balloch on Thursday, June 6 from 11-12.30 and an open day at their Eastfield Crescent allotment from 1– 3pm.

They are encouraging locals to drop in to learn more about the support available and to find out more about what Alzheimer Scotland is providing locally and how you can get involved with supporting the charity and research.

Fiona added: “We’d love locals to join us for a cup of tea and a blether. By working together, we can help make our community a dementia-friendly place where people can continue to create new friendships and continue to live in the community and feel valued and supported to live with their illness.”

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