Every car donation is important – to the charities you support and to the Charity Car team – but we have to admit, we are suckers for a good back-story to these old cars, and this one is particularly special…
Do you remember the heart-warming videos on Facebook of The Songaminute Man? – An 80 year old gentleman with Alzheimer’s named Teddy Mac, who was taken out by his son Simon to sing in the car. The trips gave Teddy a huge amount of enjoyment – a rare pleasure for them both – and they shared that joy online performing Teddy’s favourite songs from his life as a singer. The videos went viral, Simon was asked to speak about their experience on national TV, and within weeks the pair had raised over £130,000 for Alzheimer’s!
The car that carried Simon and his Dad on their famous singing rides has reached the end of its days, and Simon has fittingly chosen to donate it to Alzheimer’s Research UK… We’ve never seen the Charity Car team so excited!
We hope we’ll hear more from Simon and Teddy from another set of wheels in the future (and there seems to be a little teaser at the end of this video), but for now, here’s Simon saying goodbye to the old car!
Not only does this rather special car donation mean more funds for an important cause, but it’s given us the excuse to re-watch the uplifting video’s of Simon’s Dad belting out some absolute classics – if you search ‘Quando Quando’ on the web The Songaminute Man is up there with Michael Buble and Englebert Humperdinck! There’s never a shortage of emotion in this office, but watching these clips (and signing along) might have just taken us all to another level!
Teddy won a record deal on the back of his beautiful voice, and the album, which was recorded with the world famous Guy Barker Orchestra, is still raising money for Alzheimer’s. Although son Simon also has a decent pair of lungs, he’s chosen to write a book about his Dad’s life and their journey with dementia, which is also raising money for the cause. It’s no surprise that the father and son duo have received a Pride of Britain Award and for Simon’s imaginative use of their singing expeditions in the car, they also received JustGiving’s ‘Creative Fundraiser of the Year’. By donating the car used in those fundraising video’s through Charity Car, Simon really has lived up to that title!
All the money Simon has raised has gone to dementia charities and the funds generated by his old car will be given to Alzheimer’s Research UK to help fund pioneering research into the disease. The charity’s aim is to create a world free from the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia and it’s this cruel nature of the condition – taking away everything that makes them who they are – that makes this story so poignant… For those few wonderful moments of father and son singing together, Teddy’s Alzheimer’s isn’t an issue. Simon and his family have good days and bad days, as every family does, but finding this special time in the car that could allow them both to enjoy their time together has touched so many people and helped to raise awareness across the country. We’re all grateful they shared their journey.
If you have an old car at the end of its days and you’d like to follow in Simon’s footsteps and contribute to the work being done to find a cure for dementia, you can donate it to Alzheimer’s Research UK through Charity Car.
