Berkshire Music Trust receives £1000 from Berkshire Community Foundation to tackle loneliness and declining vocal strength in our older community members

Berkshire Music Trust receives £1000 from Berkshire Community Foundation to tackle loneliness and declining vocal strength in our older community members

Berkshire, UK (9^th February 2024) – Berkshire Music Trust has received an £1000 grant from Berkshire Community Foundation in its latest round of funding.

The money will go towards resources and the running costs of their Singing Café sessions. The project has always been about inclusion, wellbeing and not profit, however with this funding they can continue running the sessions without increasing the fees for the members.

 

Each session includes a 45 minute sing-a-long with a trained musician and qualified teacher followed by free tea/coffee with a biscuit and a chat, providing a regular social activity for those who may not see many other people during the week. The sessions help older people and those with Dementia or Parkinsons reengage in the community, meet people and avoid isolation which has had an impact on their mental health & emotional wellbeing.

 

Singing Café Participants said: ‘This is the best day I have had in a long time, I feel very happy here’ ‘I cannot read anymore and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to join in but once the music started playing all the words came back, I knew all of them’

 

Bimbi Shaw-Cotterill, Singing Development Coordinator at Berkshire Music Trust, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding as it will enable us to continue providing the best quality experience for all our members. Through this cost of living crisis we are conscious that many people that access our services are also being impacted and therefore we are always trying to find ways of making our activities more accessible either through additional funding or subsidising for those with lower incomes.”

 

Jon Yates, CEO of Berkshire Community Foundation, said: “At Berkshire Community Foundation, we work to enable vibrant, caring and resilient communities by directing philanthropic funds towards charities that perform vital functions for local people. We are delighted to support Berkshire Music Trust in its important work and look forward to the positive impact enabled by this grant.”

Berkshire Music Trust makes music for everyone, across Berkshire.

Berkshire Community Foundation works across Berkshire to raise, then distribute, funds to charities and community groups in the County.