FEATURE
backing a project called Music in Mind. This involves musicians from the Camerata collaborating with professional music therapists to run sessions with residents who have dementia at our Station House care home in Crewe, Cheshire.
I visited one of the sessions and the way music enables residents to communicate with their relatives and the team is truly moving. The draft research analysis is ready and provides some fascinating insights into how music therapists and musicians can work together to reach out to people with quite advanced dementia.
therapy sessions. Colleagues tell us they chose the charity because, like them, it is committed to helping the widest range of people possible lead fulfilling lives. Its therapists work tirelessly and patiently to stimulate memories, draw on people’s creativity and encourage a new kind of communication, reaching out to those who find communication and interaction difficult and for whom music becomes a real liberation and a joy.
One of the greatest challenges facing us as a society is the growth in people living with dementia. It is estimated that by 2015, 850,000 people in the UK will be living with the condition. We already provide support to many of these people and their families, through our residential and homecare services as well as through our new generation of day clubs. It was therefore natural for us to take a lead in responding to the effects of this debilitating condition through commissioning research into the benefit music brings to people’s lives.
I am really pleased that we are also working with the Manchester Camerata and Manchester University,
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As well as these larger initiatives, the foundation’s first set of Grass Roots grants of up to £2,000 is currently being awarded. Care UK has always had an employee match funding scheme to support the fundraising work of our services and team members in their own communities. These new grants further strengthen that established commitment to supporting colleagues’ fundraising efforts.
Our basic criteria is simple – we want nominated charities to be geographically close to one of our services and involved in the arts – drama, music, art, crafts, poetry or dance - but they do not necessarily have to be nominated by a member of staff.
We want evidence of what they have accomplished, as well as clear statements about how the money would be used, but most importantly the nominated groups or charities have to be small and local, so that the money would make a genuine difference to what they could achieve for individuals and the local community.
Working through the initial nominations was enjoyable, rewarding and humbling; humbling because of the level of commitment and personal time given by those involved in supporting people. We wanted to be inspired by the nominations and we
wanted to inspire our own people by supporting projects close to them and their communities.
The projects we are now supporting are diverse. We were very impressed with a two-person project that visits rehab clinics using song, dance and stories to support those quitting drugs or alcohol. They combine tremendous commitment and energy – making 40 clinic visits a year.
We kickstarted the foundation with a £100,000 a year pot for good causes.
In separate projects in Brighton and Salisbury we have committed more than £3,500 for new instruments to groups working with young people with learning disabilities. The projects, like our own service, are committed to changing perceptions of what people with learning disabilities can achieve.
In Northumberland we have helped fund art and craft materials for children living with cancer through local charity Josie’s Dragonfly Trust and in Peckham we are helping a charity to upcycle discarded items to raise money for patients affected by a rare genetic disorder. A Lincolnshire barbershop group has also benefited from a grant to help pay for sheet music and recordings of music so that everyone, regardless of their background, can join in.
In total, we have awarded over £10,000 to local groups and the nominations keep coming in. If you know of an arts project that also promotes community wellbeing, why not tell them about this opportunity?
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