Crowdfunder for project to tackle isolation

The project, Spring into Sound, will team isolated older people with preschoolers to play, explore and ‘forage’ for music in the outdoors by splashing in puddles, banging on trees and crunching leaves.

Music duo Unite the Beat and forest school Bee in the Woods are behind the pilot scheme, with charity Time to Talk Befriending referring the older participants.

Emily Robertson, co-founder of Unite The Beat, said: “We passionately believe in the benefits of getting people out into nature and find that using sound is a great way to immerse them in their environment and relationships.

“We are really excited to be piloting this intergenerational approach to social isolation and improving the lives of older people in our area.”

The project will run monthly sessions between April and July, during which a documentary will be made which will be screened at the end of the scheme.

Emily Kenward, founder of Time to Talk Befriending, said: “We are very excited to be involved with this project because we know just how important intergenerational relationships are to older people who have limited or no contact with family or friends.

“Not only will this collaboration be positive for our scheme members but it is a wonderful way to raise awareness about the huge need to combat social isolation by bridging the gap between the generations.”

A crowdfunding campaign for the project is running until Sunday, March 25, here.