Guest Blog:
Norrms Mc Namara
Founder of Global Purple Angel dementia campaign and also diagnosed with dementia.
SOMETHING INSIDE SO STRONG
As most of you know by now Music plays a huge part in what we do here at the Purple Angel dementia campaign and not only within the Mp3s we send out free to those with dementia with HUGE Success but also at our wonderful memory cafés we run.
Music has also played a huge part in my very own life as I am sure it has in many others.
As well as being the founder of the Purple Angel dementia campaign Charity number 1189616, I am also a songwriter in case anybody didn’t know, but can I just explain I only write the songs, not the music that goes with it, I am not that clever!!
I am asked so very often if I can name my all-time top, favorite three songs, which I have to admit, certainly isn’t easy but I thought I would share with you all this week my top three and why.
My first has always been “Music was My First love” by John Miles which is kind of self-explanatory really as the clues in the title but not only do the words tell of how much helps us through every day of our lives, it’s also got a great instrumental in it as well.
My second has to be Labby Siffre “Something Inside So Strong” as it means so much to the Purple Angel Dementia Campaign. You see, when we first started out as the Torbay dementia action alliance, something we will always be so incredibly proud of, the way we did things, the simplicity and we were all volunteers and none of us paid, (We still are, so proud to say).
The powers that be, other large dementia organisations, even government ministers said it couldn’t be done because nobody would be willing to do what we do without pay and a hierarchy, well, 7 years down the line we are now recognised in over 63 different countries, hold an annual worldwide Rock against dementia every year which involves millions of people globally and have thousands upon thousands of internet followers, so yes, one day I would like to meet the Government Ministers just one more time and tell them where we are now and why!!!
In the third verse of Labby's song he sings;
“Brothers and sisters, when they insist that we are not good enough,
When we know better,
Just look them in the eye and say,
We are going to do it anyway, we are going to do it anyway"
And that’s just what we did at the Purple Angel Dementia campaign, we ignored all the doubters and Nay Sayers and just got on with it, and just look at us now, and this all started in little old Torquay which makes us even prouder !!
The third song I have picked I only come to like later in life but I challenge anybody not to smile when they hear Michael Buble`s version of “I'm Feeling Good”
The song is such a feel-good song and can cheers up anybody’s day. So there you have it, three songs from down the ages (makes me feel so VERY old lol) and yet they have all stood the test of time.
Music has the power to take you to the highest place or the lowest place, and through life we all go through these highs and lows accompanied by music that’s playing at the time, some we remember, some we don’t, but just explain how powerful it really is, the cells in the brain that are affected by dementia are never affected by the signals that music gives off and thats why, if you have dementia or not, you can always remember where you were and who with? Uncanny eh ???
Norrms xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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