Anna has been taking a group of carol singers around the pubs in East Oxford every Christmas, to raise money for YoungDementia UK. Here are her top tips for successful carol singing!
- Get hold of some good singers and give them some good carol sheets. You will also need to have a leader who decides on the carols and verses and who keeps up a good pace. Don't forget to order your collection buckets or tins well in advance from Claire at YoungDementia UK.
- Decide on your route. Pubs do work well, but make sure you contact them beforehand to seek agreement. It's best to avoid pubs that provide live music.
- Make sure your carol singers know where to meet and ensure that you start early at about 7pm before the pubs get too crowded and you find yourselves squeezed into a spot by the door where no one can hear you.
- On entering the venue, ask for the music to be turned down when you start and make sure you sing in a prominent place so that everyone can hear.
- Start your collection after the first couple of verses and don’t stay for long in any one pub, probably for two to three carols max.
- Your carol singing should last for no more than about 1 and a half hours and make sure you offer your singers somewhere for a drink and a sitdown at the end!
- And finally, send a thank you email or card to all your carol singers and to the pubs that you visited to let them know the total amount raised.
