On 3rd June 2020, we should have been in the Royal Albert Hall, with over 2000 children singing their hearts out to raise money for our amazing music workshop projects. Obviously, because of the coronavirus, that can't happen, so instead we are premiering a virtual Royal Albert Hall concert in that week as part of a week-long festival. We want to use this as an opportunity to raise a target of £3000 to support our projects with isolated and vulnerable older people, particularly those who suffer from dementia.

Older people are beginning to suffer acutely during the current crisis caused by the coronavirus, with many being isolated for their protection, visits curtailed and accustomed activities now impossible due to lockdown. Research has clearly shown how vital music can be in helping older people with conditions such as dementia to reconnect to memory, and the impact it an have in alleviating side-effects such as anxiety. Working in partnership with specialist organisations, we will be using Armonico's core repertoire, baroque music, with its stimulating and calming melodies, patterns and repetitions, to work one-on-one with people, and we have seen already the amazing results which this can have.

As we can't now go into care homes due to lockdown, our expert workshop leaders are using specialist technology to connect with older people and their carers online. You can help us to do more of this vital and life-changing work with a simple donation to our "Unlocking Baroque Memories" fund. We need to raise around £16,000 to make this project a reality across the West Midlands and the UK - will you help us to raise £3000 towards this ambitious total?