Macclesfield's older residents have been getting a musical workout.

Belong Macclesfield welcomed the local community to take part in Singing for Health workshops.

Run by trained opera singer and choir leader, Helen Fehily, the sessions are designed to engage the whole body, from strengthening vocals and language ability, to promoting posture, memory and cognitive skill.  

They involve a range of vocal exercises that aid breathing, projection and the articulation of sound, whilst building upper body muscles.  

Anna Seaton, experience coordinator at Belong Macclesfield, said: "When people think of exercise, they often think of the gym, but Singing for Health is all about using the power of sound to promote wellbeing – like exercise but without knowing you're doing it. 

"It goes further than a sing-along and ability isn't important, meaning anyone can participate. 

"Our customers' families join us, as do people living locally, and everyone takes much joy from their work, knowing they've produced something special." 

Belong Macclesfield on Kennedy Avenue (Credit: Nub News)

The Singing for Health workshops are open to residents at Belong's Kennedy Avenue village, many of whom are living with conditions such dementia or Parkinson's, as well as their families and the local community.

Participants are challenged gently, for example, being divided into subgroups to sing 'rounds' simultaneously, which requires much concentration at the individual level but without any pressure to achieve accuracy.  

With music activating different parts of the brain to speech, remarkable outcomes have been seen, including those with difficulty speaking or who are largely non-verbal performing songs from their past.

Other benefits include maintaining speech and language, stress relief and the promotion of lung function, along with the pleasure of companionship gained from the gatherings.  

Singing coach Helen said: "Often people living with dementia can lose communication skills but singing gives them an outlet for their voice. 

"The magic appears to happen when people are in a group situation, and you can see and hear the mood being lifted – it's very powerful. 

"It's great if participants learn something but having fun and leaving with a spring in their step is the goal."  

More information about Belong can be found at www.belong.org.uk or by emailing [email protected]

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