Ferguson on music, memory and dementia projects

It was a characteristic of Friday mornings astatine Manchester United's Carrington training crushed that Sir Alex Ferguson would bounce down nan stairs singing 1 of his favourite tunes, person a joke pinch Kath Phipps - nan club's beloved receptionist - and past speak to nan media astir that weekend's match.

By Ferguson's ain admission, he wasn't nan top singer.

But euphony has ever been a cardinal portion of nan legendary erstwhile United manager's life.

Now it is much important than ever for Ferguson.

Through his accrued engagement pinch dementia charities, he tin spot nan benefits euphony tin person for those - including his relative Martin - dealing pinch nan syndrome, which leads to representation nonaccomplishment and tin besides impact nan measurement group speak, think, consciousness and behave.

"My unit would cognize I was successful nan building erstwhile I came successful nan morning," Ferguson, 83, tells BBC Breakfast.

"I don't deliberation they liked it... 'Here he comes, adjacent nan doors.'

"I deliberation it's conscionable portion of you. If I'm successful nan shower, wherever, singing is portion of me."

Ferguson is discussing nan taxable of euphony and dementia to coincide pinch National Playlist Day.

He is astatine a Cheshire edifice gathering Mil and Ken Simpson - a mates successful their 80s, and portion of a family of United play summons holders. Mil, 89, has been surviving pinch dementia since 2010 - 3 years earlier Ferguson retired.

Music has played a large portion successful Mil and Ken's lives, and they be respective play groups that supply music, singing aliases creation for those affected by dementia.

Ferguson first told Breakfast of his concerns astir dementia 12 months ago.

The consequence was overwhelming and persuaded him to give much clip to nan issue. He is now an ambassador for nan Playlist for Life charity.

"It caught maine a existent bit," he says. "I've sewage myself progressive a small spot more.

"Music has an important domiciled for dementia sufferers and we must proceed that. You don't request to beryllium a awesome vocalist to subordinate in, conscionable to cognize nan words. It's wonderful."

Ferguson has individual acquisition of nan effect of dementia.

"I person a business myself, pinch my brother," he says. "It's not easy. I person to beryllium successful touch pinch him a lot. He recognises maine [but] nan memory's not great.

"But he's not bad. He's not getting immoderate worse, let's put it that way, which is very encouraging."

Asked if dementia is simply a taxable that occupies his mind, Ferguson's reply is affirmative.

"It is, yeah, because I'm his brother," he says. "I'm only a twelvemonth up of him and I've only 1 relative truthful he is important to me.

"It's astatine nan backmost of my mind each nan time. You think, 'I wonderment if he's successful conscionable now', aliases if I should springiness him a telephone [call]. I effort to do that each day.

"I support telling him: 'Write things down.' I deliberation he tries to do that, but he forgets a batch of nan time.

"When you get to my age, you do person a small interest astir whether your representation is going to guidelines up.

"I'm 84 successful December and location are moments erstwhile I hide things. I astir apt did that 20 years ago, 30 years ago... no-one's blessed pinch a 100% memory. But erstwhile it comes to football, erstwhile I was a manager, nan representation has ever been important. Now I do a batch of crosswords, I singing a batch and read.

"I thin to spell into history - nan American civilian war. I went to a fewer of nan battlegrounds successful America, which I really enjoyed."

Ferguson's wife, Lady Cathy, died connected 5 October 2023. The mates had been joined for almost 58 years.

"After my woman passed, I was stuck successful nan location a lot," he says.

"I moved house, into nan country, adjacent doorway to my boy - but it's not bully capable conscionable to beryllium watching TV, truthful I decided to travel. I went to Saudi [Arabia], Hong Kong and Bahrain.

"Occupy yourself. Dealing pinch nan dementia group has been bully for me. It's thing that I enjoy."

Ferguson, who won 38 trophies during a 26-year tenure astatine Old Trafford, is still a regular astatine United matches.

His bequest lives connected - and it seems his recollection of his famous news conferences is arsenic clear arsenic that of nan journalists who attended them.

"I ever viewed nan property conferences arsenic 1 of my challenges because immoderate you opportunity successful a property convention is location for life," he says. "If you've had a bad consequence location is going to beryllium a question: 'How did that happen?'"