My mother, who has been living with dementia for over eight years, joined Sophie's Dementia Singing Group in 2018 and it was without a doubt the highlight of her week. She has always enjoyed singing and this provided the perfect outlet with a warm friendly support network. She was welcomed into the group like family and needed no encouragement to join in - the comradery in the group was amazing. Whilst my mother has difficulty recalling words and making sentences, she could remember a lot of lyrics to songs and the beneficial mental stimulation of this fun exercise was unquestionable. Afterwards my mother would be buzzing from the singing, repeating the songs and chatting enthusiastically about the experience.

Laughter is a constant backdrop to Sophie's groups - the simple yet vital pleasure of having fun with others, unabashed and without any self conscious restrictions. The ability of song and music to overpower anxiety and worry.

Sophie is an incredible and inspiring singer, host, tutor and facilitator. She is a one-woman powerhouse of energy, fun, enthusiasm and compassion allied to technical ability and academic rigour around the subject of singing for cognitive stimulation and improvement. I know of no other person like her!

Sadly, last year, the time came for my mother to move out of her home and away from the area to a beautiful residential care home on the south coast, closer to where I live. This has not curtailed Sophie's engagement and friendship with my mother. Sophie has visited my mother and my mother's recognition and delight - the smiles and immediate laughter (and singing of course) - were instant.

Put simply, Sohpie has brought joy and stimulation to my mother through music, song, dance, laughter and friendship. She has made my mother's dementia journey more rewarding and that bit easier.

Sophie has worked with her own personal experiences of singing performance, as well as vocal and emotional health. This has enriched her understanding and communication to the extent that she is now a leading expert in discovering, building and re-building people's vocal expression capabilities - she's a wonderful teacher and a gorgeous person.