Musical Memories class helps improve wellbeing of people with dementia in Jersey

• Video report by ITV News Channel reporter Alice Knight.

A Musical Memories session hosted by Dementia Jersey is helping to improve the wellbeing of islanders living with dementia.

The weekly sessions have been going for more than 10 years with around 30-40 people attending each week.

Islanders meet at St Andrew's Church hall where they enjoy a hot drink, biscuits and a chat before getting involved with the musical sessions.

Claudine Snape, CEO Dementia Jersey, said: "Some of them will have problems kind of remembering perhaps conversations they may have had that morning or the day before, but they don't seem to have a problem remembering the words to songs that they sung say 40 or 50 years ago and they get such pleasure from that so that’s really amazing to see."

Dementia Jersey was recently given a grant of £9,583 from the Jersey Community Foundation art fund to help provide art and music therapy sessions.

The sessions are run by music teacher Matt, who describes the afternoons as "fantastic".

He said: "We just feel alive and raring to go it’s a great start to the weekend.

"It's just that wonderful feeling that singing and being in the community gives you.

"I love it."