Edinburgh care home residents enjoy the fun of the Fringe from their armchairs
For the last four years, a growing number of care home residents in Edinburgh have enjoyed the sights, sounds and energy of the Festival Fringe without having to leave their armchairs.
Fringe Care Fest was set up by Joe Goldblatt, professor emeritus of events studies at Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University and a leading light in Edinburgh Interfaith Association, to take Fringe acts to people who used to enjoy the annual extravaganza but were no longer able to get to shows.
Its reach has grown from one care home to four, then to eight and last year 16.
Professor Goldblatt says 20 homes will be involved this summer, but his aim is to reach all 70 care homes in Edinburgh and Lothian. And he is appealing for £70,000 to achieve that goal.
Speaking at the premiere of a film about Fringe Care Fest in The Scotsman Hotel's Picturehouse cinema, he said: "This event began at a care home in Barnton, Queen's Manor, when a dear friend of mine, the wonderful internationally renowned hairdresser Charlie Miller said 'I'd like to go with you to the Fringe'. Well, we couldn't make it that year, so I asked his family if I could bring the Fringe to him.
"So we did. We brought a performer. The performer sang Edith Piaf songs in French and to my astonishment the 100 or so residents sang along and in French.
“I was deeply moved and I said to the general manager 'Can we come back next year?' and she said 'Yes, but I'd like you to go to more care homes.'"
The Fringe performances were extended to three other care homes in the same group and it went on from there. Jugglers, magicians and other performers were added.
Professor Goldblatt said: "Last year 16 care homes from Edinburgh to North Berwick enjoyed the real experience of being at the Fringe and over 1,500 residents and their families were able to participate.
"Every year we're going to be adding more until we reach my goal of 70 care homes.
"For us to bring the Fringe Care Fest to every home in this city is about £70,000 per year or about £1,500 per home. That's our goal. I'm 73 and I want, before I leave this earth, to know that the pleasure and delight [seen in the film] is experienced by every person in a care home in this city."
The 30-minute film, entitled Life Goes On! and directed by award-winning film producer by Sabine Klaus-Carter, stars several care home residents, as well as staff and relatives, speaking about the joy of the Fringe performances in the homes.
Rhoda Gourlay, 73, who lives at Drummond Grange care home in Lasswade, used to appear at the Fringe herself when she was younger, singing with choirs and an operatic company.
And she enjoyed going to shows too. "Anything with music," she said. "The music always tells the story."
She was delighted when the Fringe Care Fest brought performances to the home. "It brought back a whole lot of memories. Everybody is involved and everybody is happy to be involved."
Marion Newton, 81, from Queen's Manor, said she was not musical and didn't often go to Fringe shows, but she enjoys the performances when they come to the home.
"Watching the pianist was a real treat for me because I tried playing the piano and it was an abysmal failure, but I love to watch someone who is really, really good - I think it's incredible people can do that."
And Susanne Watson, a resident at Drummond Grange, was a regular at the Tattoo and used to go to shows all over the place, often packing as many as she could into one day.
She was instrumental in bringing Fringe Care Fest to her home and loves the shows. "Life goes on whether you're in a care home or not," she said. "One of the things that connects everyone is the power of music and that comes through in the film."
Professor Goldblatt said once people moved into a care home it was too easy for them to be forgotten."When the door closes to a care home, it's as if a chapter ends. What we find with this project is it starts a new chapter."
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