Katherine Jenkins braves the rain to sing for Anchor care homes across the UK

Residents from three Anchor care homes have been treated to a special live concert from multi-award winning, mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins OBE.

The special sing-along, powered by Vodafone, was held exclusively for residents at three of our care homes, Borrage House, West Hall and St Marys, on Wednesday, 1 July.

Hosted virtually by TV presenter Angellica Bell, the concert was streamed via a live broadcast directly from Katherine’s garden into the care home.

Braving the rain, she performed a number of classic hits such as ‘You Are My Sunshine’ ‘Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’, ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’ 

Residents sang along with her and shared their memories of those classic songs. 

The heart-warming event was also enjoyed by their loved ones and other care homes across the country, who were able to watch the world class singer’s performance online. 

The exclusive event allowed everyone to spend time together and connect through music and technology. Promoting a sense of community despite the current social distancing restrictions.

Sarah Aitken, Care Manager at Borrage House care home in Ripon said:

We were delighted to be part of this fabulous event.  All the residents and staff at Borrage House enjoy a sing-along because it is so uplifting and spreads a wonderful feeling of joy.  Everyone feels so honoured that Katherine sang for us and it was so exciting to be able to share it with a wider audience.  It is so important that during this time of social distancing we can all get together in this way and stay connected.  It was an amazing idea and we are thrilled that Katherine took time out to sing for our residents who have said how honoured they are.

Kristy Smith, Care manager at St Mary's care home in Holbrook said:

Thank you to Katherine for taking the time to help lift everyone’s spirits during these challenging times.  We love a sing-along at St Marys, and we were overjoyed to share this with the wider community.  We loved singing ‘Will Meet Again’ with Katherine as this was our favourite song during our VE day celebrations in May and represented so much of how we have felt during lockdown.  It might seem like a small thing but when we sing together in this way, we find wellbeing is greatly improved for residents and staff alike.  It is powerful medicine for the soul.

Candice O'Neill, Care Manager at West Hall said:

To be able to have Katherine live steam to our home and to be able to have the residents see her, and be able to interact with her, was such an honour. It has been such a challenging time, so to be able to do this was amazing, we are so thrilled to have had Katherine with us. Thank you so much, Katherine, for your time and generosity and sharing your beautiful voice with us. Your voice lifted our hearts, put smiles on our faces and brought us joy.

Agnes Bates, aged 99, who will be 100 years old on 16th July said:

It was amazing to hear Katherine Jenkins singing.  I always love it when she sings, and it was such a special occasion and lovely that she sang for us.

Katherine Jenkins said:

Singing is so good for the soul so I'm delighted to have given this concert this afternoon for people in care homes across the UK. I love the idea and it's such a joyful thing to be involved in so I hope everyone enjoyed it.

Katherine Jenkins image accredited to David Benett/Getty Images