One of the biggest challenges facing community organisations is sustainability. Funding can help establish innovative services, but what happens when the grant comes to an end?
For SoundLincs, the answer was not simply to seek additional funding. Instead, they focused on demonstrating the value of their Memory Lane programme so clearly that care providers chose to invest in it themselves.
Memory Lane supports people living with dementia and their unpaid carers through person-centred music sessions designed to improve wellbeing, reduce social isolation and create meaningful opportunities for connection. Delivered across Lincolnshire, the programme uses singing, musical activities and personalised approaches to engage participants regardless of their level of cognitive impairment.
Embedding music in care settings
Over time, SoundLincs began to see something important happening. The music sessions were becoming embedded within participating care settings. Residents looked forward to them, staff observed positive changes in mood and engagement, and carers increasingly spoke about the difference the sessions made to everyday life.
Alongside this, SoundLincs strengthened its evidence base through a new evaluation framework developed with Dr Robert Dean from the University of Lincoln. The framework captured changes in wellbeing before and after sessions, consistently showing shifts away from feelings such as anxiety, apprehension and withdrawal towards feelings of joy, energy and uplift. The evidence helped demonstrate that the sessions were more than an enjoyable activity. They were producing measurable wellbeing outcomes.
As confidence in the programme grew, SoundLincs reached a significant milestone. Original Memory Lane groups delivered within Dementia Day Support settings successfully transitioned to a paid-for model. Care providers recognised the value of the music sessions and committed their own resources to continue delivery.
This represented more than a financial shift. It enabled SoundLincs to use grant funding differently. Resources that had previously supported established groups could instead be redirected towards reaching people who were not already accessing support, including individuals living at home but also to residents from local care homes who might otherwise lack access to participatory creative health interventions.
For people with more complex needs, SoundLincs also expanded personalised one-to-one support through its Adult Social Prescription Service. Using tailored musical activities, facilitators helped individuals maintain connections with music and provided valuable respite and support for carers.
The experience offers valuable lessons for the wider social prescribing and creative health sectors.
What were the key elements to success?
- Build trust first - Care homes experienced the benefits directly through sustained delivery and strong relationships with facilitators.
- Collect meaningful evidence - Robust evaluation data helped demonstrate impact and supported conversations with potential partners and providers.
- Focus on long-term value - The programme became viewed as part of supporting residents' wellbeing rather than a short-term activity.
- Reinvest resources strategically - Moving established groups to a paid-for model created opportunities to expand support to underserved communities.
The impact can be seen not only in service delivery, but in the lives of participants themselves. Some have regained confidence to play instruments again, perform for others in their care settings and even join community choirs. These outcomes demonstrate how creative health can support people to reconnect with activities, relationships and identities that may have been lost following a dementia diagnosis.
Martin's story
Inspired by the ‘Memory Lane’ sessions, Martin bought himself a new saxophone. Being blind, he plays entirely by ear — but improvises along to Louis Armstrong’s ‘Hello, Dolly!’ and ‘Unforgettable’ with such joy. His confidence grew to the point where he composed an original piece for his niece, proudly performing it for her. He now regularly plays for fellow residents at his care home and has joined a local choir. For Martin, the sessions have opened up a whole new musical chapter.
“I wish they could go on forever.”
Brian's and his wife's story
Music brought energy back into Brian’s and his wife’s day. Brian has limited mobility and they don’t have a network of family or friends. Brian used to play the accordion and at the session tried the keyboard. They had a sing along and played a game of 1950s music bingo listening to some of their favourite pieces, ending with a Strauss waltz. Both Brian and his wife visibly brightened during the session. Brian became animated and this made his wife happy.
“Music is really important as it lifts their spirits and connects people and provides conversation as they talk about the sessions afterwards. It evokes memories for them, especially experiences long forgotten. Some of them are singing the words to songs they haven’t heard for years and it’s a brilliant experience for all of them.”
As SoundLincs expands its paid-for model across residential care homes and day centres, it demonstrates that sustainability and impact can reinforce each other. By evidencing the programme’s value and embedding music in care settings, the organisation is creating a model that supports long-term viability while extending access across the community.
