Tony Christie crowned Celebrity Charity Champion at the Third Sector Awards
The 81-year-old singer from Lichfield won for his dedicated campaigning on dementia, after sharing his own dementia journey with the nation to help overcome the stigma
Singer Tony Christie was crowned the Celebrity Charity Champion at the Third Sector Awards, held at The Royal Lancaster hotel in London on Friday, 20 September. The 81-year-old singer attended the ceremony with his wife, Sue and daughter, Sarah.
Tony was nominated for the award by the campaign Music for Dementia, who began working with Tony shortly after he announced he had dementia in January 2023. Tony is now an ambassador for Music for Dementia, helping raise awareness of the powerful impact music can have on people living with the condition.
Tony says: “What an honour! I am thrilled to accept this award, especially when I was up against so many other fantastic celebrity supporters.
“Being told I was in the early stages of dementia wasn’t an easy thing to hear, but I’m proud that I’m making it a less intimidating experience for others through sharing my story. It’s crazy that there’s still a bit of stigma about a disease that affects over 900,000 people in the UK.”
Sarah Metcalfe, MD of Music for Dementia says: “At 81, Tony works harder than anyone in showbiz. He gives his time for free, has never said no and always asks ‘what can I do next?’ But most of all he deserves this award for how he has turned his own dementia diagnosis into a source of help, hope and inspiration for others. This has taken courage and made a difference beyond his time and dedication. His honesty has really touched the nation’s hearts. Tony Christie is a champion in every sense. No-one deserves this award more.”
Over the past 18 months Tony has released a charity single with Sting and Nile Rodgers for Music for Dementia and Thank You Day. Thank You For Being A Friend also featured five family carers and had 67,000 song downloads. More recently Tony launched Music for Dementia’s Give It A Go campaign, featuring in their new film alongside other families. He also performed in a special Songs of Praise episode during Dementia Action Week.
Just last month Tony met up with inspirational dementia fundraiser, Harriet Thomas, who is walking from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for charity Dementia Adventure. Tony walked a mile with Harriet and appeared as a guest on her popular podcast, The DTour, which is available on m4dRadio.com, the free online music station for people living with dementia an their carers.
Tony beat off competition from Amy Nutall for her work with The Brain Tumor Charity, Anton Du Beke for his support of The Sick Children’s Trust, Bear Grylls who was the Chief Scout for The Scout Association, Gabby Logan for her support for Muscular Dystrophy UK, Gionna Fletcher for her work with CoppaFeel! and Jamie Laing for his work with RNID.
At 81 Tony is working harder than ever. He released a new album, We Still Shine, in April and is back in the recording studio working on a new album.
By Sam Jones - Contributor
