Meet the founders on a mission to promote positive mental health through the magic of silent disco

The Good Times Project, established by John and Katie Donaghue last year, offers sessions designed to engage participants of all ages and abilities – while allowing them to express themselves freely and connect with others in an inclusive way.

Through silent disco private hire revenue and business sponsorships, the founders are able to subsidise the price of the sessions for a number of organisations they work with.

This enables more affordable silent disco experiences for schools, holiday clubs, SEND day provisions and care homes, including Born to Perform, Northamptonshire Sport and Affinity Day Care CIC.

John has run a separate company, Boombastic Events, for the past decade and they regularly host 80s and 90s nights at the Picturedrome.

When the pandemic hit, he had the equipment to offer silent discos and put them on in his village of Nether Heyford when the restrictions allowed.

It was when events were fully back in swing after the lockdowns that John and Katie decided to make the silent discos their own entity through a passion project.

With a great response from care homes and hosts of children’s parties, the pair realised how inclusive it is and the difference they could make among the SEND community.

When asked to describe The Good Times Project and its offering, John said: “It’s silent disco hires and workshops. When people hire with us, a portion of the revenue goes towards subsidising sessions we do with different groups.

“The hope is that as more and more hires come our way, the subsidised sessions will become free. That’s the dream. For now, it halves the price.”

John says the sessions make a “massively” positive difference to the people who attend.

Born to Perform was one of the first groups the pair worked with and John said: “It was amazing how people engaged with us. Kim, the co-founder of Born to Perform, said it let them loose and allowed them to be themselves. They put everything into it.

“Joy is a word we use a lot. It’s a joyful thing. We see so much more from it on the connection side.

“We receive quotes from schools saying students loved seeing teachers let their hair down with them. It builds connection and trust.”

John has run hundreds of sell-out events over the past 10 years through his business and says the energy of silent discos outweigh them all.

The feedback received from Affinity CIC left John and Katie “blown away”. It was in January that their ‘forget-me-nots’ dementia group took part in a silent disco, and the impact was described as “magical”.

“They said it settled the restless, made the non-verbal sing and the less mobile dance,” said John. “It brought tears to the staffs’ eyes.”

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, a series of silent disco sessions are being held at a variety of locations – including Northgate School Academy Trust, The Bee Hive and Affinity CIC. The grand finale is being hosted at a family event at Delapre Abbey on Sunday (May 19).