Let’s introduce ourselves…

Mindsong create and provide services across Gloucestershire that are tailored for people living with dementia and their family and friends, helping to support wellbeing, decrease isolation, develop new relationships, and bring joy through music. We also aim to increase awareness and understanding of dementia through training and education.

The openness of our approach has also enabled us to use the skills and experience gained within our dementia work to support people with other health conditions.

Whoever we are working with, meaningful music-making and singing lies at the heart of what we do. We provide clinical music therapy sessions, community singing groups and volunteer-led singing with residents in care homes. We also provide supportive singing groups to improve breathing and quality of life for people with respiratory conditions, Long Covid and aphasia.

All our work springs from a music therapy ethos of always seeing the strengths, abilities and potential in everybody we encounter. Our approach is based on ever-evolving knowledge and research about the potential for music to be used as a powerful tool in healthcare.

Hundreds of volunteers use their skills to work with us, alongside an employed staff team, a board of trustees and a bank of freelance music therapists and vocal leaders. The spectrum of services we provide, along with our fluid, personalised approach at all levels of the organisation makes Mindsong unique.

In an uncertain world, we aim to provide a supportive presence for the people we work with, always listening with open ears and offering comfort, companionship and, of course, music.

Age group: 18+

Specialisms: Dementia, lung conditions including COPD and Long Covid, carer support, aphasia

A specialist Creative Health charity striving to give a creative uplift to those who need us during and after their time with Artlift. We work to co-produce pioneering best practice; trusted for our longevity of experience, the integrity of our evidence base, the efficacy of our multi-artform approaches and stories of positive change.

Age group: 18+

Specialisms within the consortium: Mental Health,  Chronic Pain, Cancer

We provide a county-wide range of creative programmes and courses with a specific focus on access for those with disabling barriers

Age group: children, young people and adults

Specialisms within the consortium:

We work with children and young people living with long term health conditions to aid self-management and boost wellbeing.

Art Shape, The Music works and Cinderford Artspace are working together to provide Arts on Prescription programmes for young people of 8-18 years who live with long term health conditions. (persistent pain / epilepsy / PPS /diabetes type 1 / respiratory conditions)

Offers inclusive and accessible creative opportunities across a wide range of visual and digital arts, circus and performance, for people of all ages and abilities.

Specialisms within the consortium:

Work with children and young people living with long term health conditions and providing support for children and young people with low level mental health needs, aiming to reduce stress and anxiety and boost low mood and well-being. All art forms.