Musicians: Najwa Ezzaher (vocals) Jorma Gasperi (guitar)

There was already a buzz of excitement in the air when we arrived at Bridgeside Lodge for this years’ Valentine’s Day session. The care home was decorated with bright red balloons and many of the residents were dressed for the occasion in red or pink tops, and JC in a brand new floral shirt.

We were excited to welcome the return of charismatic duo Najwa Ezzaher (vocals) and Jorma Gasperi (guitar and vocals), who hadn’t visited since 2020.

Starting on the ground floor, everyone was ready to be entertained and immersed in today’s Valentine’s themed tunes. Najwa and Jorma began with Nat King Cole’s classic ‘L-O-V-E’ to a room full of smiles and tapping feet, followed by our Bob Marley favourite, ‘Three Little Birds’’. Tina Turner’s ‘Proud Mary’ was the biggest hit with Big J joining in with the chorus and Ms GH dancing in time using very expressive arm movements.

News of the duo’s arrival had quickly spread and every seat was taken by the time we got to the first floor lounge. There were a lot of Elvis fans in the room, so Najwa chose ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ followed by ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ and many residents and carers sang along contentedly.

Najwa and Jorma also performed a beautiful original song ‘Jacko, Mon Petit Oiseau’ written by BSL resident GB who we sadly lost recently. It’s a delicate and sentimental piece, written in French about GB’s friendship with his pet bird, Jacko. The song was written in 2020 in partnership with Spitz musician Arthur Lea and which Najwa had performed for GB previously. I was a lovely tribute to his energy and kindness.

Moving up to the third floor and another full house, for a couple of slower tempo tracks including ‘Bésame Mucho’ and the Carole King classic ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’, before ending on Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ – at which resident JC showed his funky side.

Overall we were so pleased to spot that a few of the residents were much more engaged than usual, noticeably captivated and energised by today’s artists, so we’re really looking forward to the pair coming back to BSL again soon..

Reflecting on the session, Najwa Ezzaher said:

“Singing at Bridgeside Lodge was a breath of fresh air for me.

The way we were welcomed by the residents, their smiles.

Them singing along gave me so much energy! People always

think that singing at a care home must be tiring and

difficult… this couldn’t be further from the truth, it actually

fills me with amazing feelings of hope, love and fun!

I can’t wait to visit again soon 🥰 “