Bluebell Wood-Stock: Bringing Music and Joy to Young Lives
The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation is delighted to once again support our friends at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, helping to fund their Bluebell Wood-Stock Music Festival 2026,a joyful celebration designed especially for young people with life-limiting conditions and their families.
Based in North Anston, Sheffield, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice provides free specialist care for babies, children and young people up to the age of 25 across South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire, North Nottinghamshire and parts of North Lincolnshire. Their dedicated staff and volunteers support not only the children and young people in their care but also parents, carers and siblings ,offering comfort, respite and unforgettable memories.
Music plays a vital role in Bluebell Wood’s work. Their two in-house music therapists use the power of music to ease pain and anxiety, improve communication and help families build special, lasting moments together. From one-to-one therapy sessions to creative group activities like *Wriggles & Rhymes* and *Heartbeat Music*, music helps lift spirits, offer emotional expression and bring connection during the most challenging of times.
Following the success of their first Bluebell Wood-Stock event in 2025, Transition Co-ordinator Rachel Parkin and her team are bringing the festival back next year , an afternoon of live performances exclusively for the young people supported by the hospice and their families. The event gives young people, many of whom are unable to attend mainstream events due to complex medical needs, the chance to enjoy the magic of live music in a fully accessible and safe environment.
Our grant will help cover the cost of artist fees and PA hire, ensuring an unforgettable day of music and togetherness for over 100 young people and their loved ones. Bluebell Wood plans to make the festival an annual highlight, driven by the enthusiasm and creativity of its young people, who help choose the event theme and the styles of music showcased.
Rachel shared how important events like Bluebell Wood-Stock are for their community:
“Music has a way of reaching across barriers. For the young people we support, the festival isn’t just about hearing great bands — it’s about belonging, making memories and feeling free, even for an afternoon.”
We’re proud to continue our partnership with Bluebell Wood, whose incredible work shows, time and again, how music can bring comfort, joy and connection to those who need it most.
Find out more about their amazing work at www.bluebellwood.org.
Striking a Chord with St Luke’s Hospice
Music has an extraordinary power to soothe, connect and uplift, even in life’s most challenging moments. That’s why The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation is proud to once again support St Luke’s Hospice, Sheffield, through funding their latest Ukulele Group project.
St Luke’s provides care and support for adults across Sheffield facing terminal or life-limiting illnesses, alongside counselling and wellbeing support for families. Their dedicated teams not only care for patients within the hospice but also visit people in their own homes, helping them live with dignity, comfort and joy wherever they choose to be.
This new Ukulele Group builds on the success of St Luke’s previous music-making sessions we proudly funded last year. Led by music facilitator Julia Waldron, whose background in community music and music therapy has already made a profound difference, the programme will run for several weeks. Two groups, one for beginners and one for continuing participants will learn, play and grow together each week, with sessions steadily expanding to involve more participants as the weeks go by.
The project will invite patients living with conditions such as cancer, COPD, Parkinson’s, MND and other palliative illnesses, as well as family members. More than just music, these sessions are about connection and confidence, offering relaxation, laughter and a sense of shared joy. Playing the ukulele can also help improve breathing, posture and coordination, while reducing anxiety and stress.
As the group progresses, participants will prepare for a spring showcase performance, celebrating not only their musical progress but also the friendships and sense of community forged through weeks of playing together.
For the team at St Luke’s, music helps people make the most of every day aligning perfectly with their purpose: to treat each person as a unique individual, listening to their wishes and supporting them to live well until the very end.
We’re honoured to help make this happen and to continue Sarah’s legacy using the power of music to bring comfort, joy and togetherness across Sheffield.
To learn more about St Luke’s Hospice and the incredible work they do, visit [stlukeshospice.org.uk](https://stlukeshospice.org.uk/welcome/vision-purpose-strategy).
Lost Chord UK: Saving Lives Through Song
The Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation is proud to announce our latest grant recipient, Lost Chord UK, a pioneering South Yorkshire charity using live music to transform lives, particularly for people living with dementia and other neurological conditions.
Founded over 26 years ago, Lost Chord UK was the UK’s first music-for-dementia charity, and it remains a cornerstone of community music-making across Sheffield and beyond. The charity brings joy and connection through live, interactive sessions such as *Tea and Tunes* singalongs, *Soup and Songs* gatherings, and inclusive *Community and Care Choirs*. Each year, their talented professional musicians and volunteers help more than 11,000 people reconnect through the shared language of music ,lifting spirits, unlocking memories, and reducing loneliness.
Bringing the Community Chorus to Life
With support from our latest grant, Lost Chord UK will deliver an inspiring new project – the Community Chorus, also affectionately known as the Fire Choir. Based in a free community space provided by the Sheffield Fire Service, these monthly intergenerational sessions will bring together local families, children, and people with dementia to rehearse, write, and perform uplifting songs about safety, wellbeing, and resilience.
Led by professional musicians, the choir will create original songs that help spread life-saving messages to the wider community, performing in public venues across Sheffield and even aiming for a special appearance at a local football stadium. Along the way, participants will build valuable performance skills, confidence, and friendships while strengthening community ties through the power of music.
Powering Local Connections
Lost Chord UK’s mission beautifully aligns with our Foundation’s belief that music has the power to unite, uplift, and heal. Their Community Chorus project exemplifies how creativity and compassion can work hand in hand to make lasting impact. By helping fund musician costs, travel, and refreshments for a full year of sessions, the Foundation supports Lost Chord UK in turning what was once an occasional event into a regular, sustainable programme.
You can learn more about Lost Chord UK and their incredible work at [lost-chord.org.uk](https://lost-chord.org.uk).
Together, we’re proud to celebrate another inspiring example of music making a difference in Sheffield, just as Sarah Nulty believed it could.