We're still buzzing from the energy at the Stockport Masonic Guildhall following our annual fundraiser on Saturday, 25th April. It was an evening of dancing, community, and immense generosity, and the results are officially in.
The Impact: £7,500 Raised!
We're incredibly proud to announce that we raised this staggering amount, officially surpassing our 2025 total of £6.4k.
For those in the third sector, you know that securing unrestricted funding for core running costs is one of our greatest challenges. This total doesn't just represent a successful party; it provides the essential stability we need to continue our vital work in dementia awareness and support.
A Full House
With 230 people hitting the dance floor, the atmosphere was electric. The room looked spectacular thanks to the stunning décor provided by AG Balloon Arrangements, setting the perfect stage for a night of celebration.
The Legends Who Made It Happen
An event of this scale requires a massive team effort. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to:
Our Sponsors: A huge thank you to Visiting Angels Manchester South and musicMagpie for their unwavering support.
The Hosts: Joe McGrath (BBC Radio Manchester) kept the energy high all night, while Alan Keegan (Manchester United’s stadium announcer) brought incredible charisma to our raffle and auction.
The Soundtrack: Our incredible musical lineup—The Marlins, The Viaducts, Clint Boon, The Hook, and DJ Andy Hunt—kept the guildhall jumping.
The Production: Kieran and Stu from HOLLOWSPHERE AV ensured the sound and lighting were flawless.
Capturing the Magic
The night was immortalized by Fern Dean (Stare Society Studios) through her fantastic photography. We are also eagerly awaiting the event footage from Klaudia Paluch and Nadeem Noushad (Manchester Metropolitan University).
Gratitude to Our Donors & Volunteers
Our raffle and auction were the stars of the show, thanks to the legendary generosity of:
Nathalie & Robert Hodgkinson, Manchester United, Joe Makin (Man City FC), Eddie Owen (Stockport County Community Trust), Simon Broady (Moorsounds), Coldplay, Alan Keegan, Ken Doherty, Chris Hodgkinson, Nick Grime, Rachael Collins, and Jan Shaw.
Finally, a massive thank you to our dedicated volunteers who handled everything from merch to the selfie station, and to our Board of Trustees, Matt Neilson, Leah Holmes, Johnny Noel, Philippa Bostock, and Nick Shaw, for celebrating alongside us.
To everyone who bought a ticket, placed a bid, or made a donation: You are the reason we can keep dancing. Thank you for making 2026 our best year yet!
If you have a moment you can check out the amazing photos of the night here:
It was a whirlwind "triple disco weekender" for the Dementia Disco team from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th April! From launching our newest monthly event in Greater Manchester to celebrating a grand opening in Oxfordshire, the energy has never been higher.
✨ Stretford Steals the Show
Our 7th monthly disco marked a true "pinch-me" moment as we opened the doors to Stretford Public Hall for the very first time. Under the sparkle of the hall’s own disco ball, we welcomed around 30 wonderful disco-goers, an incredible turnout for a debut event!
The dance floor stayed packed all night thanks to our new DJ volunteer, Phillip, who kept the tunes spinning. Seeing so many smiles, dances, and moments of pure joy reminded us exactly why we do what we do.
Don't miss the next one! We return to Stretford on Friday, 8th May and Friday, 19th June (5-7pm). Tickets are free and include a meal, tea, and coffee!
🥂 A Night to Remember in Oxfordshire
To cap off our big weekend, we headed south to celebrate the official launch party of the Oxfordshire Dementia Disco at the fantastic The Heyford Hotel. See photo above.
The energy was electric from the first track. Nick Shaw was joined by a room full of brilliant dancers who proved that the appetite for a Dementia Disco in Oxford is massive.
A Huge Thank You to Our Supporters: This spectacular evening was made possible by the team at Dorchester Living - Heyford Park, who kindly supported the launch. We are even more thrilled to announce that Dorchester Living is officially sponsoring our Oxford disco moving forward!
📍 What’s Next for Oxford?
We're not stopping here! Our friends at Dementia Oxfordshire are currently scouting the perfect permanent venue so we can make these disco nights a regular reality for the local community. Stay tuned—we will be announcing our new permanent venue and dates very shortly.
Next stop: Timperley for disco number 8 starting on Friday 1st May at Timperley Sports Club. We can’t wait to see you on the dance floor.
Want to join the party? Whether you are in Stretford, Timperley or Oxfordshire, you can book your free tickets here: https://portal.dementiadisco.org/ or call us at 0300 102 7042.
As Dementia Disco CIO embarks on its next chapter of growth, we're thrilled to announce a major milestone: the formation of our first Advisory Board.
Scaling a charity is a complex journey. Our mission is to expand the right way, efficiently, safely, and by leveraging the latest technology to ensure a seamless experience for our volunteers and guests. To guide us, we have brought together an incredible group of experts spanning franchise growth, legal strategy, social impact, and tech innovation.
Meet Our New Advisors
We are honoured to welcome such a distinguished group to the team:
Mark Selby (Chair of Advisory Board): Owner of K2 Consultants and former E-commerce Director at Macfarlane Packaging. Mark brings the supply chain and operational prowess required to ensure our growth is both seamless and sustainable.
Alexander Speed: A solicitor with over 30 years of experience and owner of his own practice. Alex provides the high-level legal strategy and dispute resolution expertise essential for navigating complex expansions.
Charlotte Tierney: Bridging the gap between technology consulting and dementia care, Charlotte holds an MSc in Dementia. Her background in tech-enabled respite services ensures our innovation remains focused on transforming the status quo of social care.
Daniel Brown: CEO of Simon Care Management and a leader in ‘Eldertech’ and behavioural science. Daniel’s focus on healthy habits for independent living is vital as we integrate technology into daily care.
Chris Larkin: Representing the Alzheimer’s Society, Chris is a master of systems leadership. His experience in organisational redesign and building high-performing, dispersed teams is exactly what we need to scale our workforce across the voluntary and public sectors.
Dan Archer: Owner of Visiting Angels, Dan brings unparalleled experience in scaling through franchises. He understands how to use structured business formats to drive substantive change in the care sector.
John Harvey: With over 15 years in purpose-driven campaigns for Vision Ireland, John ensures our mission remains clear, engaging, and influential as we reach new audiences.
John Ramsay: A former corporate lawyer turned Managing Director of Social-Ability. John knows exactly what it takes to scale a social-impact business that makes a real-world difference for those with cognitive challenges.
Grounded in Lived Experience
Peter Middleton: Pete provides the most important perspective of all. As an activist living with Young Onset Dementia, Pete’s unique insight ensures that every technological leap we take is grounded in what actually matters to the people we serve.
With this advisory board behind us, we couldn’t be more confident in the road ahead.
Together, we are building a future where the joy of the disco is accessible to all.
On behalf of myself, my mum Jan Shaw, and the entire Dementia Disco team, we want to say a massive thank you to everyone who joined us at Waterside Gym, Didsbury for our recent Zumbathon on Sunday 19th April!
The room was full of energy, sweat, and smiles, and the results are truly something to dance about.
The Result: £914.55 Raised! 🥳
We're absolutely over the moon to announce that together, they raised an incredible £914.55.
To us, this isn’t just a number, this total will pay for a disco for an entire year, ensuring that our community continues to have a safe, joyful space to connect and dance throughout 2026 and beyond.
Our High-Energy Heroes
A special shout-out must go to our incredible instructors and volunteers who kept the energy through the roof and the feet moving for every minute of the session:
⭐ Dionne Armstrong
⭐ Natalie Ozel
⭐ Laura Cosgriff
⭐ Lisa Healey
⭐ Rahul Chadda
⭐ Joanne Taylor
A Vision Come to Life
We also want to extend a huge thank you to Hannah Goulding for believing in the vision and providing the support to allow mum’s awesome idea to become a reality.
The group was having so much fun that they actually forgot to stop for a group photo! However, we did manage to capture the spirit of the day with this great shot of Nick Shaw getting into the Zumba groove (see above).
Thank you to every single person who donated, participated, and cheered us on. Because of you, we have a whole year of dancing ahead of us! 🎶 💙
