Pears Foundation’s Christmas Gifts are our way of marking the festive season in a spirit of generosity and appreciation for the incredible work of local charities.
Each year the Foundation’s trustees identify a number of small, community-based organisations to receive a surprise seasonal boost of unrestricted funding.
The power of music to engage and connect people has long been understood, and with recent developments in neuroscience we are learning more about music’s cognitive benefits and capacity to promote wellbeing. This year we are donating a total of £160,000 to 20 organisations that all, in different ways, work with and through music. Most are small and local but we have also included a few charities that work across the UK to promote local initiatives. And while music is the common theme, our recipients differ both in how they use music in their work, and who they support:
Scottish charity The Cheyne Gang, strapline ‘sing to breathe’ is a community singing group for people living with COPD and other long term respiratory conditions.
Liberty Choir bring volunteers from community choirs into prisons to sing alongside prisoners. Support continues after release through their graduate programme, and they have impressive stats on reduced reoffending rates as well as a host of other indicators. Founded in 2014, Liberty Choir now work in eleven prisons and secure psychiatric settings.
Bristol-based charity Soundwell deliver music therapy within the South West for adults with mental health needs and also provide emotional support to carers, using music to explore creativity, communication and expression.
Fairbeats Music work with young refugees, asylum seekers, newly arrived migrants and their families in community centres across south London, bringing people together through music-making and other artistic activities.
At the other end of the age spectrum, Goldies Cymru’s daytime FUN Sing&Smile sessions bring joy to the lives of older isolated people in church halls, community rooms and libraries across Wales, while the aim of Playlist for Life is for everyone with dementia to have a unique, personalised playlist and everyone who cares for them to know how to use it.
The full list of Christmas Gift recipients is below.
As with all the Foundation’s grants, they are chosen proactively by the Foundation. The annual theme is decided by the trustees and is separate from the Foundation’s strategic funding areas. Previous years’ donations have funded inclusive leisure activities for children with disabilities, groups for young carers and celebrated volunteering during lockdown.
Health and wellbeing
- The Cheyne Gang
- Drake Music NI
- Goldies Cymru
- Key Changes
- Mindsong
- Music of Life Foundation
- Music24
- musicALL
- Playlist for Life
- Soundwell
- Wishing Well Music for Health
The justice system
- Finding Rhythms
- Liberty Choir
- Vox Liminis
Removing barriers
- Choir with no name
- Fairbeats
- Future Talent Musicians
- Hear me out Music
- Music Broth
- Sound Progression