Five care home workers will take to the stage at the national final on 7 October, bringing an original rap, a Queen medley, a saxophone, a blindfolded piano performance and a 19-year-old crooner
Care home talent is set to take centre stage at this year’s Care Sector’s Got Talent Grand Final, with five of the eight finalists battling it out for a £5,000 cash prize coming from within the care home sector.
The finalists include a care worker who has turned his passion for rap into a celebration of life in a care home, a pianist who will play Prince’s Purple Rain blindfolded, a care home choir preparing to rock the stage with Queen anthems, a self-taught saxophonist and a 19-year-old singer who performs regularly for older people in care homes.
The Grand Final takes place at Care Show Birmingham at the NEC on Wednesday 7 October, where the finalists will perform live in front of an audience of 500 care and healthcare professionals.
Meet the care home finalists
Reward Jachiang Mangbon – Ashbrook Court, Waltham Abbey
Care worker Reward has turned his experience of working at Ashbrook Court into an original rap celebrating the residents, staff and teamwork that make the care home feel like home. His slick audition video features residents and fellow staff joining in, while his lyrics highlight the importance of keeping residents safe and the pride he feels in his work. Reward started rapping Christian songs in church when he was 10 and says he has now been able to combine his lifelong love of music with his career in care.
“Music has always been a huge part of my life,” he says. “I’m so proud to be a carer. I love my job.”
Tom Rose – Avery Elstree View, St Albans
Tom, 23, is swapping his role as a care worker for the national stage after reaching the final with an unusual audition – playing Prince’s Purple Rain on the piano blindfolded. Tom had never played blindfolded before, but the song is so ingrained in his muscle memory that he decided to give it a go. He has played piano since the age of six and says music is a particularly powerful way of connecting with residents, including people living with dementia.
“Music is the closest thing we’ve got to magic,” says Tom.
Avery Songbirds Choir – Avery Beckenham Park, London
The Avery Songbirds are bringing a little bit of rock royalty to the Grand Final with a Queen medley featuring We Will Rock You, Freddie Mercury masks, moustaches and a staff member dressed as Freddie himself.
The choir was formed after residents who had sung in choirs throughout their lives said they missed it. It now brings together residents, staff and volunteers, with around 10 residents heading to Birmingham for the final. For choir leader Sorrel O’Sullivan, the group is also challenging outdated ideas about life in a care home.
“When you go in a care home, life doesn’t end. It’s just the next chapter,” she says.
Ayomide David Adegbite – Bilton Hall Nursing Home, Leeds
Kitchen assistant Ayomide, 28, is a largely self-taught saxophonist who discovered Care Sector’s Got Talent while clocking off from work. He started learning the saxophone in 2018 and now performs at paid and voluntary gigs alongside his work at Bilton Hall. Only a handful of his colleagues knew about his musical talent before he entered the competition.
“Music is like a shortcut to my happiness,” says Ayomide.
He is now hoping to perform for Bilton Hall residents and share his music with them.
Jacob Reed – Cornwall
19-year-old professional singer Jacob Reed began performing after joining a school band for his GCSE music course and has since developed a repertoire inspired by some of the golden era of music, including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole and Tom Jones.
For the past two years, Jacob has also been taking his music into care homes across Cornwall, where residents sing along, dance and enjoy his performances. Jacob was shocked to find out he has the chance to bring his singing to a national stage.
“I couldn’t believe I’m actually a finalist.” Says Jacob “I’m started to get excited. It’s still good to keep some of the nerves ahead of the big night.”
The five care home finalists are joined in the Grand Final by Koah Jude Fulton, a neurodivergent stand-up comedian living in supported accommodation in Pudsey; Leaping Frogs, a three-piece blues band formed by colleagues at Future Directions CIC; and New Centre Stage, a Liverpool performing arts group for adults with learning disabilities.
The competition is organised by Championing Social Care and celebrates the talent, creativity and personality of people living in and working across social care. This year has seen the largest volume of applications in the competition’s six-year history, with organisers keen to showcase the breadth of talent across the social care community. The winner will receive £5,000, with a further £1,000 talent development fund for the runner-up.
The Care Sector’s Got Talent Grand Final takes place at Care Show Birmingham at the NEC Birmingham on Wednesday 7 October. Tickets are available from Eventbrite. They are free for care and healthcare professionals.
The full final will also be broadcast on the Care Sector’s Got Talent’s YouTube channel on Friday 9 October at 2.30pm, giving care homes and organisations across the UK the chance to watch and celebrate the finalists.
