Donate now to our Big Give appeal and until 9 December your gift will be doubled at no extra cost to you.
Can you imagine a life without music?
You never hear the opening bars of your favourite song again. You can’t feel the vibrations of the instruments around you. And perhaps most importantly, you can’t share that moment with the people you love.
“I met Sarah on New Year’s Day 1985 on a crowded bus and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We’ll have been married 40 years next year. The longest we’ve spent apart is while Sarah has been ill.”
Five years ago, Sarah had a sudden and severe stroke that has affected her short-term memory and left her paralysed in both legs and her left arm. Now Gordon regularly visits her at the Marillac Neurological Care Centre in Essex, where they share a different kind of musical connection through Music in Hospitals & Care’s tailored live music experiences.
“I haven’t experienced live music for years outside of the Marillac Centre. I can see it means a lot to Sarah, she’s more mellow and a lot less frustrated with the fact she can’t do what she wants to do. She is more relaxed when there’s music playing and definitely calmer afterwards. Music in Hospitals & Care just hits the right notes, as they say,” says Gordon.
Sarah agrees: “I like it when I can recognise songs, which I did today. At Christmas we have a guitar player who knows hip hop. He’s very good, I like him.”
This festive season, you can help bring joy, hope and connection to people like Sarah and Gordon.
From midday on 2 December to 9 December, every donation we receive up to £30,000 will be match funded through the Big Give Christmas challenge. This means donations will be doubled, making twice the impact this Christmas.
Donate today to double your impact and give the gift of live music to those who need it most this Christmas.
Building partnerships for the future
Read about some of the recent ways we’ve been working in partnership with funders, researchers and NHS trusts across the UK to make your support go further.
Supporting people through music in the most challenging times
We have been sharing weekly live music in the intensive care unit at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen. Singer and guitarist Gareth Cornfield recently shared a moving moment with a family following the passing of their loved one.
A memorable evening of Wine, Music and Song
Thank you to everyone who joined us and supported the Wine, Music and Song event. With music spanning centuries, the evening was a celebration of music in its many different roles.