Nottingham actress Vicky McClure is looking forward to a 'massive reunion' ahead of the return of thousands of music fans to Splendour Festival 2022. Taking place on the grounds of Wollaton Hall, for the first time this year the festival is split into two days instead of one.
It returns for the first time since 2019, with the coronavirus pandemic having scuppered plans for the festival over the last couple of years, and this year's performers include Happy Mondays, Craig David, Anne-Marie and Supergrass. Vicky is set to join the line-up at this year's Splendour Festival with her Dementia Choir alongside musician Tom Grennan. And the actress is excited for the return of the festival, which she described as a 'massive reunion'.
Hailing from Wollaton, Vicky is looking forward to not just attending Splendour but performing. It will also be a first for a UK festival to have dementia representation on stage.
Read more: Frustration after readers learn road could be closed for months
"I love Splendour and I don't think I've missed one yet as it's my favourite place on the planet. I grew up in Wollaton so I feel very lucky to call that place my home in many different ways. I wanted the choir to experience that festival vibe," she said.
"If you are from Nottingham then you tend to walk around the park and everywhere you turn there is someone you know or went to school with or worked with. It's like one massive reunion," she said. Which performance is Vicky looking forward to the most?
"The Dementia Choir will be the biggest one for me but I'm looking forward to the Happy Mondays. I've seen them before and I know Shaun (Rider) quite well so it's always nice to see him. I can't wait to see live music in general, there is nothing quite like it and we've missed it for so long and need it in our lives. It brings people together even if you don't know the bands or the music."
The choir will perform a half an hour set on Sunday, July 24, at Wollaton Park as part of a new documentary. Vicky became involved in the choir a few years ago after caring for her grandmother, Iris, who lived with dementia before she passed away.
"My nana had dementia and, when you are in a position like I am where you can spread some good, then that's what I want to do. I felt I had an opportunity to share a joyful story and gain an understanding of it," she said.
She added: "There is a lack in dementia awareness or funding and it's a scary disease because it's in the brain. People are quite fearful of it but I want to encourage younger people to get into the conversation because it will affect them through their parents, grandparents and friends."
"I've no doubt that there will be people in the audience that are living with dementia who will feel seen and represented. This is the first time that people with dementia have performed at a festival. I feel honoured to be a part of that and for Splendour to have that type of representation. There will be some brilliant artists but I feel that this will capture people's hearts in a very special way."
When it comes to music and dementia, there have been plenty of studies that show that music can help with mood and memory. Vicky explains that the choir helps with this but also it creates a community where people can meet others living with dementia.
Vicky, who plays AC-12's Kate Fleming in the hugely successful BBC One show Line of Duty, explained: "It does help with mood and supports their memory in a way that other things can't. Everyone living with dementia should have access to music therapy which drives me. I'm not here to find the cure, and medicine is not my field. When the choir are musically in touch then they are very present and so I am."
"They are just in the moment and it's all about feeling. You only have to ask one of the choir members who will tell you that it's like a lifeline to them."
Despite her success, Vicky continues to live locally in Toton with fiancé Jonny Owen, the film director behind the acclaimed I Believe in Miracles, which documents and recounts the remarkable story of Nottingham Forest's success on the European stage under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. Vicky says that family and community are the reasons she chose to stay local.
"The reason we live in Nottingham is purely down to family and the people. There are lots of reasons we are still here but, ultimately, you can't complain when you are on a night out and you walk through Nottingham. The town is not looking at the greatest at the moment, we all know that there is no point trying to sugar-coat it. We need to get the centre back up and running and we are aware it feels different at the moment."
She added: "It needs a lot of TLC and more than a lick of paint. Yet, I was driving around town with my mum and there is a huge amount of buildings that are going up so stuff is moving."
Line of Duty fans will be keen to know if there are any developments with the series. Vicky has a lot of work planned for the rest of the year although sadly no news.
"I'm going to finish off the Dementia Choir series which is due in autumn then I go on to do Alex Rider series three. Next year I will start with Trigger Point series two so there is lots coming up. Jonny and I also have our BYO Production company which is very busy at the minute."
She added: "There is nothing on Line of Duty. I met with the guys a couple of weeks ago and it was really lovely to see them but no news."
READ NEXT:
- Live Boris Johnson updates as latest minister resigns from government
- Nottingham Forest facing key transfer decisions as summer business steps up
- How to get early access to Boots sale that's one of 'biggest events of the year'
- Man in hospital following crash between motorbike and car
- The latest court news from Nottinghamshire Live
