Celebrities and Sports Stars Unite For Care Sector Festival

A unique free digital festival featuring legends of Strictly Come Dancing, US theatre stars and some of the UK’s most loved sporting organisations will bring once-in-a-lifetime experiences into the living rooms of our care services across the country this Tuesday.

On Tuesday 15th March we’ll be hosting ‘The Best Day Possible’, a world first digital event for the care sector on our ground-breaking digital activity platform, www.What-To-Do.co.uk.

What To Do offers a diverse range of free accessible and adaptable activities every day for people who access care and support. With sessions delivered by world class partners, across the arts, culture, sport and community sectors, including yoga, cookery, exercise, dance, arts and chair-based clubs and a digital disco, the site has changed lives and connected hundreds of people who access care across Britain throughout the pandemic.

To celebrate our 34^th birthday, we’ll be hosting the inaugural Best Day Possible digital festival on Tuesday 15^th March. With an incredible array of accessible and inclusive experiences, including a dance masterclass with Strictly legend Vincent Simone, activity sessions with Manchester City in the Community and Warrington Wolves Foundation, a virtual styling session with make-up artist to the stars, Clare Pinkey, and even an exclusive performance from New York City by award-winning US theatre star, Morgan Kirner, this festival will bring joy and new experiences to care services across the country.

We, Community Integrated Care, are one of the UK’s largest social care charities – supporting thousands of people who have learning disabilities, autism, complex care needs, mental health concerns and dementia.

Our What To Do website was been created in response to the loneliness and isolation that many disabled people can experience, which had been exacerbated by the pandemic. By offering accessible, adaptable and aspirational activities, as well as a host of special experiences – with recent guest appearances from the likes of Manchester City Co-Captain, Ilkay Gundogan and WWE Superstar, Ashton Smith – the site aims to give people a positive answer if they ever find themselves asking ‘What To Do’?. Since its launch in 2021, it has supported many profound outcomes for people who access the site – including enabling people to cook independently and form new friendships.

We’re hoping that this star-studded bill will encourage many more people who access support and carers to discover this incredible free platform, and to join the growing online community of friends – the more the merrier!

John Hughes, Director of Partnerships at Community Integrated Care, says: “The Best Day Possible will be a phenomenal event. We are thrilled to have secured a range of incredible experiences, which very much reflect the ‘wish list’ of our community and the range of partners our charity has. From exclusive performances by stars of Strictly Come Dancing, to the chance to travel virtually to Broadway to watch a theatre show, or even learn how to make cocktails and enjoy a makeup masterclass, there is truly something for everyone!

What To Do is an vital platform.Its exciting, empowering, and entertaining experiences have made a real difference to many people, through the worst of the pandemic and beyond. It is now a thriving community that so many love being part of. There is an open invitation to anyone who wants to join in to log-on at www.What-To-Do.co.uk and be part of the fun. This is truly a fitting celebration to mark the 34^th anniversary of a charity that has made such an incredible impact on society.”

Oliver Thomason, who is an active member of the www.What-To-Do.co.uk community, says: “I love What To Do! It’s given me the chance to enjoy and learn so many new things. It has been amazing to try exciting activities for the first time, like Yoga. It’s really helped me in my home life too, because I’ve learned great things like how to make my own delicious meals.

I really can’t wait for The Best Day possible. It is going to be amazing to have the chance to try so many great things and meet so many special people. I hope that lots of people can join in with the fun.”

Media are welcome to join any of the following sessions on March 15, or to arrange Q&As with event hosts.

Best Day Possible! | Eventbrite

10:00 | Football Fitness with City in the Community (Manchester City)

Warming up like champions and getting the blood flowing with football themed exercises from the reigning Premier League champions.

11:00 | An Arty Party! with Age Exchange

Age Exchange is the leading charity for creativity-based support for people who access care. Founded almost forty years ago they are a key partner of www.What-To-Do.co.uk, hosting regular arts, crafts and creativity club sessions.

12:30 | Cook-Along Live with Pompey in the Community (Portmouth FC)

Chef Gavin of Portsmouth FC’s official charity has hosted a live cookery club with the charity and www.What-To-Do.co.uk since 2020.

These sessions have already enabled hundreds of people to learn how to cook whilst becoming social events where friendships have formed, genuinely impacting people’s lives.

This has become such a success that its participants have gone on to create recipes for a professionally made cookbook to be launched this year.

14:00 | Happy Hour with Zest Mixology

Delivered by top mixologists, attendees will learn how to make delicious cocktails and mocktails.

This activity represents the greater purpose of the www.What-To-Do.co.uk site, supporting people to develop new independent living and social skills.

15:00 | Vincent Simone Live!  (Strictly Come Dancing)

Vincent loved delivering an online dance class to Community Integrated Care’s community so much that he offered to do an exclusive performance of his current show.

This is a private, exclusive performance from Vincent and his dance partner, plus some Q&A.

16:00 | Make Me Up Before You Go! Make up with Clare Pinkney

A high-profile make-up artist to the stars, Clare believes that having the ability to understand how to use makeup is a skillset that people who access care can take huge benefits from.

17:00 | Party On! With Warrington Wolves Foundation (Super League rugby league club)

Warrington Wolves will host a range of accessible party games.

The Charity of the leading club are key partners of Community Integrated Care, which is the Official Social Cre Partner of Super League, Rugby League World Cup 2021 and Rugby Football League. www.What-To-Do.co.uk has been created in partnership with the sport of Rugby League and hosts a range of activity classes and special experiences with leading clubs and stars of the game.

18:30 | One Night Only live from New York with Morgan Kirner

A special performance live from New York from a Broadway actor with a passion for helping people with disabilities.

Morgan’s been a nominee for a prestigious Jimmy Award, the Broadway honour for new talent, and won the Spirt of Jimmy Awards at the Jimmy Awards. She’s been in big US productions, including touring nationally in Hello Dolly and as Ariel in the Little Mermaid.

19:30 | All Night Long with DJ Ged

Ged is Community Integrated Care’s own octogenarian resident DJ, whose live sets spread an unbridled joy to the living rooms and lives of social care service users on a weekly basis.

For media and interview requests, please contact Joe Thomas on 079 7363 2987 or Joe@jwmacnab.com

Note: Vincent Simone is open to media interviews only focusing on his work as part of the What To Do project and his latest shows.