Music legend Tony Christie backs Christmas dementia campaign

27th November 2024

Sheffield Hospitals Charity has launched their Christmas campaign, raising funds for dementia care, backed by musician and singer Tony Christie.

Tony is best known for his recording of (Is this the Way to) Amarillo and his hit Avenues and Alleyways which features in the charity’s heartfelt Christmas video this year. He revealed his dementia diagnosis in 2023 after noticing changes like forgetting the names of people he had known for years and struggling with cryptic crosswords that he had loved doing all his life.

Tony Christie said:

“When I received my diagnosis of early onset dementia it was a shock...it’s not something you think will ever happen to you. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to carry on performing and that’s all I’ve ever known. But with a few adjustments, like an onstage monitor with the lyrics to my songs, I’m still singing as good as I ever did. Music is such a powerful trigger for improving symptoms associated with dementia. Music is in my soul, and it still gives me happiness on the darkest of days.
Avenues and Alleyways is one of my favourite songs to perform and I’m delighted that it’s been chosen to feature in the charity’s Christmas campaign this year to help raise awareness and much-needed funds for dementia care across Sheffield. I’m so grateful for the care my family and I have received from our NHS over the years.”

Beth Crackles, CEO of Sheffield Hospitals Charity, said: 

“We are incredibly grateful for the support our friend and ambassador Tony Christie is giving to our campaign this year. We’ve already achieved so much thanks to generous donations from our wonderful supporters and for the last five years have been able to fund a Dementia Practitioner Team. The team have trained hundreds of dementia champions across Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and helped wards to become more dementia friendly. But this is only the beginning. From providing specialist dementia training for NHS staff and carers, to improving in-hospital experiences and helping people in our communities to stay independent for longer. Sheffield Hospitals Charity is committed to helping people live better with dementia. Our Christmas video will resonate with so many people, and we have also produced some tips to help families have a dementia-friendly Christmas which you can find on our website.”

To support the Sheffield Hospitals Charity Christmas dementia campaign, you can make a donation, purchase Christmas cards or a decoration from the online shop on the charity’s website www.sheffieldhospitalscharity.org.uk.