The partner charity for this year’s festival is
Raise Your Voice,
a dementia singing project based in East Sussex.
Raise Your Voice is a music project for vulnerable people living with dementia and their carers. It is based in two areas around Lewes, East Sussex, and Burgess Hill, West Sussex.
It is run by professional musicians, singer Jane Haughton and pianists Nancy Cooley and Jenny Bewick. They are supported by teams of volunteers with a wealth of experience working with vulnerable adults in social care, as well as in the legal profession.
RYV offers an immersive and very enjoyable experience for participants. The pace is gentle, giving time for reflection. There are many opportunities for everyone to contribute at whatever level they can. Central to our ethos is the value RYV places on everyone’s contribution and making space for ideas and voices to be heard.
In every session, everybody can sing and explore how to sing expressively, and RYV also draws on artwork, movement, and drama. RYV explores many different genres of songs and music, connecting them through chosen themes.
RYV then shapes a narrative through which RYV explores characters, enriched with personal reflections from the group in their own words, which can be combined with music. This broad creative process not only enhances the sensory experience but also offers opportunities for wide engagement amongst our participants.
See how much the Cuckfield Christmas Tree Festival has raised for charity since the first Festival in 2003.
