The Buddy Beat

A decade of rhythm, and

help to people across

Renfrewshire

Yes, it’s true- The Buddy Beat has turned 10! It’s hard for us to

believe that we have a decade under our belts already. A decade

which has seen scores of people come through our doors. A decade

that has seen people blossom and turn their lives around. A decade

where Buddy Beat has taken the magic of music to the wider public

and entertained countless thousands.

And so, we thought we would take a little look back at our time so

far and also show you how we celebrated this terrific milestone. Sit

back and relax for our Trip through Time………

The Beginning

The Buddy Beat founders are Jeanette Allan, Care Group Lead

Occupational Therapist for Mental Health Clyde: Community

Musician Dr Jane Bentley and Karen Auld, Occupational Therapist.

Jane Bentley brought her music into Dykebar Hospital for a series

of weeks at a time and it was soon realised that the patients who

were getting the benefit of the drums, were being eventually

discharged but there was nothing in the local community for them to

continue engaging with the music. Below, Jeanette, Jane & Karen.

And so, in September 2007 Paisley Arts Centre

became the first home of this new and as yet

nameless drumming group. One of the early members suggested The

Buddy Beat, as Paisley people are called Buddies. It was a six-week

project…….and now it’s a decade later! Our Anne is our longest

serving member and has been at Buddy Beat since day one.

Early Gigs

Performance was never actually on the agenda. However, back in late

2007 Buddy Beat were overheard by someone who was planning an

evening event at Paisley Museum and asked the group if they would

play on the museum steps as patrons entered. That was a big step

for us and greatly enjoyed. We returned in December 2008 and

repeated the experience. Tom recalls “people hanging out their

windows clapping along to the music!”

Earlier in 2008, Jeanette Allan took us all up to The Scottish Youth

Theatre in Glasgow to be part of an Occupational Therapist

conference. Tom had only been in the group 3 months and it was his

first foray into public performance and recalls “being as nervous as a

cat on water, but it was a joy to be part of the music”. Below, March

2009, SECC Glasgow at a nursing conference.

From there our name was becoming more widely known and the gigs

began to rhumble in: nursing homes, Paisley Farmers’ Market, mental

health charities, more conferences, local festivals and NHS

departments. Taking part is not compulsory but most of us do so as

it is so rewarding and thrilling. In a kind of way, we are paying

forward the benefits we received from Buddy Beat.

We now have over 250 gigs/workshops under our belts, which we

think is pretty amazing.

The Benefits

The Buddy Beat’s cornerstone is promoting social inclusion. Poor

Mental Health can rob you of almost everything and for many, it’s a

hard deal and as time

goes on you reduce

your circle of friends

and have a battle

getting out and about.

Buddy Beat provides

people with a reason

to get up and out

almost every Thursday

of the year. It is a

safe, non-threatening

environment where no-one judges you. The music and the things we

learn improve focus and concentration and self-worth and self -

confidence starts to build. Friendships blossom all the time- real,

lasting friendships. The social side of Buddy Beat is arguably its

greatest achievement. And how we laugh!

It’s a springboard

So, when people find their well-being

good and their confidence has improved,

they have often in the past decided to

bring something else into their lives.

Many have joined arts groups and drama

groups, some have ventured into

volunteering, others into education and

a good number have now found

employment. It is always the right way

forward- to fill your week with activities that you like and keep

yourself busy and on an even-keel. Photo- Tom volunteering on RNIB

Connect Radio- “I’m so lucky to have Buddy Beat and my volunteering

in my life and that with my wee job, balances my week perfectly and

keeps me good.”

Media

We have had our own website for some time now and it can be

visited at www.thebuddybeat.com. Our Facebook page is at

Renfrewshire’s The Buddy Beat, and it is quite an active page full of

photos and films and what’s going on in our world. Our Twitter feed

is @The Buddy Beat.

In 2011, we launched our documentary film “Keep the

Beat…Our Journey in Rhythm”. This film won a national

award (more on that later!) and has recently passed

3500 views on Youtube. We are very proud of this little

film and just this year we learned that it is now shown

to every student occupational therapist at Caledonian University in

Glasgow as part of their course. That is such a huge honour for The

Buddy Beat.

The process of making “Keep the Beat…” awoke Tom’s creativity and

from that time film-making has become a staple of our activities.

We have created many music pieces over the years- Funky Lunch,

The Weather Report, The Buddy Beat Blues, Rock on Buddy Beat, ,

Paisley Pattern and Paisley 2021, to name a few- and we enjoy

bringing these to the screen. Our videos are watched across Europe,

into Africa, down to Australia, across to Argentina, upwards to

Mexico and across the United States. In fact, we have gathered

more than 27,500 views online. Not bad for a wee drumming group

from Renfrewshire!

Partnerships

As our name became

more well-known,

partnerships with other

organisations began to

form.

Probably our greatest

partnership is the

Renfrewshire Mental

Health Arts Festival.

Buddy Beat co-founder Jeanette Allan is the main stay of this

festival, and has had Buddy Beat involved every year and 2017 is no

different- it will be our 10th year of involvement and we have three

gigs to deliver. Check out what’s on in your area at

www.mhfestival.com.

RAMH and Reuben Millward have been

great partners. Our Monthly Open

Nights based at The Charleston Centre

in Paisley have been in conjunction with

RAMH, and not only did they give us this

great base, but they also encourage

people to come along and try our drums. A few of our regular

members have come to us this way. Our November 2017 Open Night

will be our 80th overall. Check out www.RAMH.org.

ACUMEN (Argyll & Clyde United in Mental Health) is a mental health

charity and we have performed at three of their AGM’s and David

Wright from ACUMEN has been a stellar supported over the years.

David was our 1st honorary member back in 2011 when he hosted our

launch of “Keep the Beat…” Check out www.acumennetork.org

Penumbra is another mental health charity and we have

held workshops for them at St Andrews Church in

Glasgow (where this memorable photo on the left of Anne

& Noreen was taken), Falkirk (see photo below) and a

Glasgow high school here we helped students de-stress

at exam time. Check

out

www.penumbra.org.uk

Flexicare operates in Paisley and provides

clubs for children who fall within the

Asbergers/Autism spectrum and we have

held a dozen or more workshops, which have

always been great fun. Check out

www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/flexicare. Left-

Jane, doing a Bananarama routine with

Lesley and Jackie.

And finally, ROAR- Reaching Older Adults in Renfrewshire- have 12

clubs around Renfrewshire where older adults go for lunch and also

get to enjoy some form of entertainment. ROAR engages us and we

have delivered 24 workshops across Renfrewshire and we always look

forward to these workshops. Check out www.roarforlife.org

Awards

Like everyone on life, receiving recognition is affirmation of what

you do, and at The Buddy Beat it’s just the same! We have been so

fortunate over the last 10 years and here

are the honours we have had bestowed on

us-

2011- We were declared the 1st Scottish

winner of The EPIC Awards, a national arts

award given to us on the back of “Keep the

Beat…Our Journey in Rhythm.” Jane & Tom

travelled to London for a special awards

ceremony.

2012- We were finalists in The

Renfrewshire Quality Awards, and the

ceremony took place on a memorable night at

Paisley Town Hall. Here we have Karen and

Jane looking mighty pleased.

2012- We were presented

with a Renfrewshire Provost

Award in the Arts Category

at a grand event at Renfrew’s

The Glynhill Hotel.

2016- Tom nominated Jane Bentley

for a BBC Music Day Unsung Hero

Award and Jane was selected as

one of the five national winners.

When this news broke, the

internet almost crashed. Jane was

interviewed by Steve Wright on

Radio 2 and travelled to Cornwall’s

The Eden Project with Tom to

appear on BBC1’s The One Show.

Our 10th Birthday

We wanted to do something special for our 10th birthday and at our

AGM in July we tasked Susan, Carolyn, Gemma and Tom to put

together an event. They went to it with verve.

And so, we booked that large hall where

we are based. We invited friends and

former group members and on Thursday

28th September, we all arrived early and

set out our tables and displays. The hall

was a splash of colour and we couldn’t wait

to get started.

Our delicious birthday cake made by The

Perfect Treat (check it out on Facebook

Page) and right, Susan, holding our

emblem, which was revealed that very

morning. Created in 2008 by our first

Chair Ann Ross, this has travelled far and

wide but got a bit battered in one of our

moves. Susan, our present Chair, took it

home and gave it a makeover. We think it

looks great!

One of our numbers from our ever-growing repertoire is a

traditional African rhythm called “Shiko”. When asked which tune

they wanted to perform, this is what the group decided. It was a

splendid choice as “Shiko” is a party piece and involves welcoming

people from your nearby village, with a lot of armography involved

We ripped our way through this, and received a hearty applause. We

then asked the audience to join in with the arm movements. This

caused a mix of much hilarity and serious concentration!

Next our birthday cake was rolled out and was

cut by Jane and Anne. You can see Alistair in the

background willing them on so that he could

taste it!

The ladies were joined by

Jeanette Allan and they had a

lovely three-way conversation

about those early days of

Buddy Beat. As you can see, it

was a very relaxed and

cheery chat.

Everyone in Buddy Beat who wanted to say something was given the

chance- Gilbert, Stacey, Christine, Carolyn, Jamie, & Graham (we

sang 10cc’s “I’m Not in Love” with him- it’s a Graham thing and he

normally drops in 3 tunes every Thursday!)

Next up it was

Boomwhacker time and we

equipped our guests with

speed. Jane did her splendid

thing by bringing the room

together and it was a great

sound, alternating between

drums and Boomwhackers.

Lastly, it was time to

watch Buddy Beat’s new

film “The Buddy

Beat:10” which Tom had

been working away at

for the last three

months.

“I spent 100 hours of

my time filming people

in different locations

around Paisley &

Renfrewshire. I also

wanted to include elements of our creativity and workshops and

performances in the community as this says a lot of what we are

about. I am very proud of the finished product and can’t thank

everyone who participated enough.” No one in the room had seen the

film beforehand, and it went down a treat, to thunderous applause.

This can be seen on Youtube or on Buddy Beat’s Facebook page.

Then it was time to eat- a mountain of sandwiches, cakes and home

baking. It was a lovely atmosphere as everyone sat down to lunch and

blethered the time away.

It was the perfect way to celebrate our 10

years, and it was great to have family and

friends, and people who have really

supported us over the years. You could see

how pleased the group were and how much

the event had meant to them.

We also presented Jane with a little gift

from ourselves. It was a little silver djembe

drum and Jane says that she is never taking

it off.

Stacey texted later to say “Today was great. I am so chuffed to

have been involved.”

Can you guess who this is? Oh, it’s our Eileen! And

on the right, Tom with Lesley King, group member

2008-2012.

The reuniting of the First Ladies of The Buddy Beat-

Jeanette Allan, Dr Jane Bentley, Anne Dowie and Karen Auld.

Lastly, we thought we would ask new member Hayley (pictured below

with Alistair), who joined us in May this year, about how being a part

of Buddy Beat has been for her-

“When I first joined Buddy Beat I was a nervous wreck when being around

unfamiliar people. The first person I met was Tom & he came over to where I was

sitting and introduced himself. He told me how Buddy Beat helped him through

the difficult times. When we went upstairs, I met other members of Buddy Beat

who welcomed me in to the group and made me feel part of the Buddy Beat

family. During the first session I felt like a fish out of water, but I also felt safe

and able to be myself a few sessions in. I then felt comfortable enough to join in

as time went on. The music & playing the drum felt like normal routine, no matter

how rough or stressed out I got. I know that I always had my Buddy Beat family

to help me through anything.”

It has been an incredible ten years of The Buddy Beat. Yes, we are a small

drumming group from Renfrewshire, but we surely punch above our weight and

have friends around the world. It has been ten years of wonderful music, a

million memories, strong friendships & seeing people happy and thriving. The

many, many people who have been part of our group. We also look forward to the

people who have yet to come through our door. Here’s to the 1st decade and we

look forward to the adventures the next one brings. If anyone wishes more

information please email tom.thebuddybeat@sky.com.

Compiled by Tom Chalmers

For Buddy Beat Publications 1st October 2017