SingAbout
Independent Arts
Arts & Health South West Prize 2016
Runner Up Case Study
Name of organisation: Independent Arts
Title of project/programme: SingAbout
Dates of project/programme: 2011 to present
Summary
Established in 1987, Independent Arts is a small charity based on the Isle of Wight. Working predominantly with older people, thepurpose of our work is to address the mainissues faced by our ageing community - the Island has the largest number of people with dementia nationally and a very large ageing population. We usethe arts in our daily work as a tool to improve health, - in particular dementia,social isolation, disability and disadvantage.
Our SingAbout programme which launched in 2011 and is still on-going, is an ambitious Island wide project to provide free social Singing for Wellbeing groups to older people, particularly people with dementia, carers and people with disabilities. SingAbout began with an evaluated pilot scheme in 2008 and 2009 and a modular project plan to establish four free clubs across the Island. We have now raised over £190,000 for the project and opened our seventh club this month. Session numbers are monitored on a weekly basis and regular evaluations are conducted to assess both the quality of the sessions and the benefit they are having on the health and wellbeing of the participants. Groups are attended by over 275 people every week. Attendance is completely free of charge.
Overview
The Isle of Wight tops the public health charts with the highest number of people with dementia nationally. We also have a disproportionately large older population fuelled by inward migration of retirees and outward migration of younger people. This is set against the backdrop of a rural and seasonal economy, poor transport and services and huge cuts by local government. This is the story of how a very small arts charity came up with an ambitious plan to provide free access to participatory music sessions to address the growing health issues in our local community:
Independent Arts has always been a grassroots charity with a focus on user led involvement and project shaping. We decided to run two pilot studies in 2008 and 2010 during which time we devised a project plan, a funding strategy and a training programme for session leaders and volunteers. The evaluation data was incredibly encouraging with users reporting very high scores on increased wellbeing, confidence and improved memory. A pilot study with the Stroke Association was also undertaken to examine the benefits with other health conditions, - this too produced extremely positive results.
From the start we placed great importance on the project’s strategy; how would we keep it going? what would our exit strategy be? how would we attract the required funding? We decided to build the project in a modular way – by establishing one group and then fundraising for its continuation and the establishment of another and so on. Our target was four groups to be established and run over two years at which point we had a plan to hand the project back to the community to be maintained with the help of volunteers and local parish councils.
In 2011, having secured funding from the Lloyds Foundation amongst others, we opened our first group in the West Wight. The launch was tied in with a weekend fundraiser helped by the Minghella family and a celebrity attended screening of Iris. Natural Voice Practitioners received Alzheimer’s Society training and we visited many of the established mainland projects. Sessions included warm up exercises, songs sung in rounds and musical accompaniment on flute, guitar and ukulele. All participants joined in with percussion instruments, movement and song. In April our second group opened in Newport and in September of that year, a third in Ryde. During this period we were consulting with participants, conducting informal evaluations, documenting sessions and building a picture of the project which could be taken to funders. We found this approach to be crucial to the funding strategy which relied on the support of numerous small trusts and foundations. In 2012 we opened our fourth group in Ventnor in a partnership with Southern Housing by placing the group in a residential care home setting but with access to the public.
By this point we had constantly evaluated the project, made changes where users had requested them, in some cases moved to larger premises and recruited and trained more volunteers. We had also secured through on-going fundraising enough funds to maintain the groups for a further year. Funders were supplied with highly detailed timelines and strategies for maintaining the groups and we found that they were supportive and responsive to this approach.
This approach was in line with the level of need on the Island - the number of dementia diagnoses continued to increase whilst services declined. At this stage we decided that not only did we have to increase the number of groups but also try to find longer term funding for the project. This we achieved in 2015 when we were selected to be delivery partners on the Island’s Big Lottery funded Ageing Better programme, a five year investment aimed at reducing social isolation on the Island. SingAbout had always been an effective activity in reducing social isolation in older people and those with dementia who found socialising impossible due to the constraints of the condition. In 2015 we secured funding to maintain the project and to increase the number of groups and to include pop-up groups in small villages. The positive thing about this for us is that we are part of the Ecorys National Evaluation for the national programme which means that SingAbout will receive a formal and robust evaluation over the forthcoming five years and will involve a cohort who have been part of the project for potentially ten years at that point. In July we were thrilled to learn that Independent Arts had been named as regional winner of the Outstanding Impact Awards presented by Lloyds Bank Foundation. We were selected for our continuing work with older people and in particular our SingAbout project. The award was made for the number of beneficiaries we support - given the small size of our organisation.
“When you’re alone, it’s something to look forward to” -May, aged 82.
In the past six months we have opened two more groups and the number of participants keeps rising. We have not stopped there and already have additional groups planned to open, one in Sandown and another in Seaview for which we have just secured funding.
‘It’s a testament to the project that you still retain volunteers and participants from the projects start five years ago’ The Headley Trust (Current funders)
Innovation
Over the past year the Isle of Wight Council has cut the equivalent of 60% of its cultural services budget which means that for many people on the island there is little or no provision for relevant participatory arts activities which are accessible and free. Against that backdrop it’s hard to overestimate the importance of highly local free weekly arts activities.
We have been pleased to work in partnership with other charities by hiring hall space and in turn guaranteeing them an income. We have also worked with voluntary car schemes and volunteer bus services in order to get people to the sessions. We have established links with GP surgeries, the local NHS PCT and CCG and are pleased that an increasing number of referrals now come directly from GPs and Adult Mental Health Services. We have also worked closely with care and sheltered housing providers to ensure their clients have access to the sessions.
Reduced opportunities for involvement in participatory arts are due to complex factors, social, economic and cultural. Many SingAbout participants tell us that they have not had the opportunity to be involved in a creative musical session since school days. SingAbout is innovative because it seeks to address this imbalance of opportunity and to deliver a significant and sustainable transformation to older people’s lives through provision of accessible, relevant and inspiring arts activities. It remains the only arts and health project on the Island offering free weekly activities to older participants.
Participation
Older people are very actively engaged in all aspects of the project and our participants are our best advisors and ambassadors. Since its inception we have listened to what beneficiaries tell us and have implemented suggestions from moving the project to premises with more on site car parking, to placing sessions within a sheltered housing complex.
SingAbout was initially developed by older local people. Its pilot study specifically sought the views of its users and these were incorporated into the model for delivery. However, as SingAbout is run by older people (volunteers, participants and session leaders), ownership of the project has always been theirs. Participants are empowered and actively encouraged to shape the groups and session content. Where SingAbout is held, for how long and at what time are all decisions made by users. Independent Arts simply facilitates the provision of sessions and the rest is down to them. Interestingly volunteers voted not to be identified as volunteers, but as participants, demonstrating a non-hierarchical ‘inclusivity’ which is at the heart of the groups.
Outcomes
From both continuous and recent evaluation (using simple questionnaires – self reporting and carer reporting, interviews or group discussion), we know that participants health and wellbeing has improved significantly beyond baseline. In many cases confidence, speech, coordination and cognitive function is improved. Depression scores are significantly lowered.
For many participants SingAbout is their only form of regular social contact and the sessions have become occasions which isolated older people look forward to. When recently questioned, 89% of participants said it ‘had made a significant improvement to their social life’, while 98% said it had made a significant improvement to their health and wellbeing’. Participants tell us that ‘they don’t know what they would do without it’ and ‘It’s the only thing keeping them going’. The clubs themselves have become friendly, familiar places of support, and personal events such as birthdays and, sadly, funerals, have become group activities with many individuals who live alone regarding the clubs as ‘their family’.
Our aims for the project were as follows; to improve overall health and well-being with fewer GP visits and less prescriptions; to reduce social isolation through opportunities for increased and regular social engagement and networking; to increase the opportunity for older people to access relevant, high quality participatory arts activities; and to improve community and social cohesion through very local project provision, including volunteering opportunities.
“You do such wonderful work. I have depression, but the singing makes such a difference.” - Jeanne, aged 86.
“Two hours of SingAbout washes away my feelings of sadness and restores my sense of wellbeing.” - Derick O, who was with us at the start and has since joined a local Community Choir where he is a now leading light
“Wonderful company, wonderful music. Helps to make life worthwhile, a real tonic. Every week, two hours of fun” - Alec P who is in his 90’s and recently received his medal for wartime service in the Baltic convoys.
“I think SingAbout is great, it’s an oasis in the middle of my week. I love singing and the relaxed atmosphere. I find it very therapeutic” - Derek
“I am a volunteer and get so much from SingAbout , it’s a joyous thing” - Chris
“The group is a Godsend for my friend who has had a stroke and dementia. She always looks forward to a good sing” - Maureen
Learning
Challenges have included transport issues – getting frail elderly to the sessions has been interesting, but we have worked closely with the FYT Bus and with Optio to solve even the most difficult transport arrangements. We thought that volunteer recruitment and retention would be a problem, but we have 39 wonderful volunteers, many of whom have been with us since day one of the project. Sometimes securing funding has been challenging but our policy of approaching multiple small trusts and foundations, although time-consuming, has met our targets and we have long term established relationships with some of these funders. We have made changes to the project as and when assessment has shown that something isn’t working and we are reliant on participants and volunteers to feedback ideas and observations to us.
Critical success factors
The project is still on-going, which in itself we think is an achievement. Our intention is to continue for as long as we are able to sustain the project, with a view to making the whole island musical – with opportunities for everyone to participate in a singing for well-being group.
This project has led to further work; we have expanded our singing groups to include singing for breathing groups based on the Brompton Hospital model for respiratory conditions. A few months ago, again after running a successful six month pilot, we attracted two year funding from the People’s Health Trust to deliver weekly Singing for Breathing sessions. We are currently fundraising to start a second group and we are looking at singing groups for younger people.
We have also recently been involved with a partnership to provide singing sessions to people with early onset Alzheimer’s. We work with a group of about 25 people locally who are in their 40s and 50s and have a dementia diagnosis.
I think that the modular delivery plan was successful and one that we are employing again on our other projects. It means one group can be provided and then used as an evidence base to appeal to funders, to evaluate and to get user feedback whilst funding for other groups is being sought. I think a very clear annual project plan with evaluation points and clear aims and outcome points is essential and has really helped with this ever growing project.
Funding and Resources
Budget Headings
Annual costs of running 7clubs
Instructor session fees for 48 weeks per year: £20160
Project management £8280
Premises – Hire of church halls - average £30 per 2.5 hour session £10080
Office overheads£960
Volunteer recruitment, training in dementia awareness + DBS £2200
Session materials, new songsheets, instruments £2400
Total cost of providing six clubs £44080
Cost of running one club for a year £6297
Cost per participant per year for 48 weeks attendance £125.94
The project has been funded over the past five years by numerous Trusts and Foundations including:
The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Foundation
The Headley Trust
The Helen Hamlyn Foundation
The Albert Hunt Trust
The Bonhomie United Charity Society
The Big Lottery
The Lynn Foundation
The Green Hall Foundation
The Derrill Allatt Foundation
The PJK Charitable Trust
The Anne Rylands Trust
The Isle of Wight High Sheriffs Trust
Southern Housing Group
Barchester
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Fund
The Big Lottery Awards for All
The Truemark Trust
The Daisie Rich Trust
The Woodward Trust
The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust
The Blagrave Trust
The Isle of Wight NHS
The Zurich Community Trust
The Garfield Weston Foundation
The Charles Hayward Foundation
The Allen Lane Foundation
The Co-op Community Fund
The W.G.Edwards Foundation
The Steel Charitable Trust
Lloyds TSB Foundation
The Triangle Trust
The Alzheimer’s Society
The Concertina Trust
Image Credits
Title: SingAbout
Date: 2011 to present
copyright/credit: Independent Arts
Title: Newport SingAbout
Date: 2011 to present
copyright/credit: Independent Arts
Title: Freshwater SingAbout
Date: 2011 to present
copyright/credit: Independent Arts
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