The Big Christmas Care Singalong for York care home residents

The event replaces the very popular Xmas Presence, which, for the past five years, has seen a team of volunteers led by Big Ian Donaghy give a family Christmas Day to older people living alone in the city.

Ian says that, unfortunately, as with almost everything this year, Xmas Presence has had to be cancelled because of Covid-19, so the speaker and dementia campaigner hatched a plan to unite the world of care this Christmas with an online event called The Big Christmas Care Singalong.

He took over a warehouse with the help of Mark Parker of AV Matrix and, socially distanced with great care and a green screen, one by one he invited singers to perform carols and other Christmas songs.

Ian conscripted the talents of Jess Steel and Graham Hodge, Samantha Holden - who has performed with Michael Buble - Jessa Liversidge with the ever-present George Hall on piano.

World renowned sax player Snake Davis whose CV includes Amy Winehouse, Take That, Paul McCartney, The Eurythmics and George Michael, also recorded a haunting solo sax version of Silent Night.

Top London session singer/pianist Sam Tanner who has played with members of The Rolling Stones, The Who and Rod Stewart recorded a reggae version of White Christmas especially for it.

Ian said: “You can expect a setlist of Hark the Herald Angels and Away in a Manger and In the Bleak Midwinter to a soulful version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and a raucous version of the 12 days of Christmas with people from all over the world.

“The performers are superb and the whole thing has a warmth to it that is needed to lift this year.

“The vaccine has given us a light at the end of the tunnel but we are still in the tunnel.”

Since then people from all over the world have sent in videos of their Christmas memories and of them singing their festive favourites.

He said: “Let’s just say there’s a range of quality but we have included everyone. We have people with learning difficulties and dementia singing alongside the people who support them.”

Thousands of care homes have said that they are making it an event in their homes to be played on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Ian said: “This has been the toughest year ever in care. Throughout the pandemic Ian was asked to create the national film campaign for Health Education England to recruit the next generation of nurses into social care so saw the huge sacrifices people were making for those they cared for during the pandemic.”

During lockdown Ian wrote and published a book “A Pocketful of Kindness” to celebrate the power of community with whilst the venues he usually speaks at had been turned into Nightingale hospitals.

“The free online event has been universally welcomed by care homes, supported living, hospitals, hospices both in the UK and Australia.

“The joy of it is if someone is isolated in their own room they can have their very own room private Christmas concert. Christmas can come to them.”

It can also be accessed by any home here.

In a year where very few television programmes are being made it will be a welcome change to seeing celebrities on web cams or Del Boy as Batman yet again.

“Alana Parker and Nick Wynn in Australia have got involved with Ian to spread the word far and wide beyond our shores.”

“Technology has come so far in the last year. Everyone I far more tech savvy.”

It also features a Jackanory style story narrated by Ian McMillan (the Barnsley Bard) with illustration by Private Eye’s Tony Husband. Angela Rippon also makes a surprise appearance.

“Expect something that is somewhere between a Christmas Concert, You’ve Been Framed and Gogglebox! But we hope it will warm people’s hearts and show those who work in our care homes, hospitals and hospices just how invaluable they are.”