Mindsong, the Tewkesbury-based charity that uses music to help people living with dementia, is making a huge impact on the lives of many people in Gloucestershire.

The charity has only been running for six years but in that time they have helped thousands of people living with dementia by providing music therapy courses and regular Meaningful Music sessions in care homes and private residences across the county.

Karen Lawton, CEO of Mindsong, says the work the charity is doing across Gloucestershire is becoming a valuable resource for people living with dementia and their families.

She said: “We often receive heartbreaking referrals from a GP or Community Dementia Nurse and we discover that some people are surviving on as little as one hour of support every three weeks. Quite a lot of the work that we do is with couples. Often one person will be living with quite challenging dementia, but they are still being cared for at home.

“Our music therapists go into people’s homes for an hour or more and they’re there every week for three months. Each 12-week course costs us approximately one thousand pounds. As most carers are at crisis point when they are referred to us we offer this service for free.

“We’ve been a registered charity since 2012, but we began in 2007 as a small outreach project. Many studies have been published that prove the important role that music plays for people living with dementia, our job is to offer our services to as many people as we can.

“Obviously we’re dependent on the generosity of our supporters, we’re always keen to hear from people who may want to donate. Any donation, no matter how small, makes such a difference. Anyone who would like to donate is welcome to ring us on 01684 273656 for more information. 

“We have another large strand of work - our volunteer network - which we call ‘Meaningful Music’. We have 370 trained and supported volunteers across the county that work in 50 care homes. They deliver sensitive music sessions to people living with dementia.

“It costs us 50 thousand pounds to run so donations are very much appreciated. Our volunteers are absolutely brilliant, the work they do is so important for so many people.”

The charity recently announced a partnership with the National Health Service that will help people living with debilitating lung diseases.

Karen continued: “We’re extremely excited to announce we’ve just been commissioned by the NHS to run free singing groups for people who have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which covers a broad range of lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

“People living with COPD are encouraged to sing and learn new breathing techniques. The aim is to improve the physical, emotional and social effects of having COPD on your everyday life. Come on your own, or with a partner. It will be fun, and you'll be surprised how good you'll sound in the hands of our brilliant vocal leaders. Come along to breathe, laugh and sing together.”

Breathe in Sing out courses are running in the following venues:

Lydney Community Centre - starts Thurs 4th Oct 2pm
Abbeydale Community Centre (Gloucester) - Weds 3rd Oct 1.45pm
Holy Apostles Church Hall (Cheltenham) - Weds 3rd Oct 10.30am
Cashes Green Community Centre (Stroud) - Thurs 4th Oct 2pm