NORDOFF and Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity, is celebrating receiving £95,519 of National Lottery Community Funding to launch ‘Mind and Sound’, a project designed to support people living with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) across Cardiff and South East Wales through music therapy, in partnership with brain injury charity Headway Cardiff & South East Wales.
By using participatory music-making to improve confidence, wellbeing, and social inclusion, Mind and Sound builds on existing local provision of music therapy delivered by Nordoff and Robbins to the ABI community of South East Wales, alongside Headway Cardiff & South East Wales, since 2019.
The project, which started in April this year and will be delivered over three years, offers an inclusive, creative approach that fills a critical gap for individuals with complex needs – particularly for those who find it difficult to engage with more traditional forms of support following a hospital stay.
Mind and Sound will be delivered at Headway Cardiff & South East Wales’ fully accessible Independence and Wellbeing Centre in University Hospital Llandough, as well as community venues and online sessions to maximise accessibility.
Designed in close collaboration with the community it serves, building on participants’ strengths, skills, and experiences, Mind and Sound activities will include one-to-one and group music sessions, as well as performances and celebration events that unite people and strengthen community ties.
The project has been made possible through funding from The National Lottery Community Fund’s People and Places programme in Wales. This funding supports community-led projects that bring people together, build on local strengths, and create lasting positive change.
Through the project, it is estimated that 260 family members and carers will benefit from respite from their role as carers, leading to reduced stress and stronger relationships. In addition, around 90 health and wellbeing professionals supporting the ABI community will have an increased awareness of music therapy and how music can support wellbeing.
Fraser Simpson, Regional Manager for South West & South Wales, Nordoff and Robbins, said:
“We’re delighted to have received such generous funding from the National Lottery Community Fund’s People and Places programme, so we can move forward with the Mind and Sound project. Working closely with our delivery partner Headway Cardiff & South East Wales, we will run an accessible, co-created programme of music therapy to help people to recover and overcome the challenges resulting from ABI, whilst also benefiting families, carers, volunteers and staff. Our long-standing collaboration with Headway has ensured the project is shaped by lived experience and responds directly to the needs of those it supports.”
Rebecca Pearce, CEO, Headway Cardiff & South East Wales, said:
“Since 2019 we have seen the positive impact that music therapy delivered by Nordoff and Robbins has had on our participants. Furthering this impact over the next three years, Mind and Sound aims to improve wellbeing, confidence and emotional expression, reduce social isolation among people with ABI, and enhance community connection and peer support. By creating a safe, inclusive, and engaging environment, the project is helping individuals – particularly those at highest risk of isolation – to reconnect with themselves and others.”
