Funding applications have become a part of my life and this week it’s been Awards for All and One City Trust. As much as they can be long and laborious, I do find them a positive challenge. What do I mean? Writing about Forget Me Notes allows me a time of reflection and a time when I can be specific about what we offer and what we achieve. We don’t always get a “yes” but if we get enough yeses to continue to provide a positive service that is all that counts.
On Tuesday I was doing supervision for a project we deliver at Open Door in Morningside. It is a wonderful project made that way by those that take part in it. We want to develop a three-year project and so we spent some time looking at what a third year might look like. This would mean that we would have three years of work that could be built into a package that could be delivered in any centre. We will also have an evaluation that goes with our work in order that we can evidence the value of the project.
The highlight of our week was singing at the Parliament. We had great fun and we were able to share our message of how music is good for your health. If delivered in imaginative and creative ways, then we can save the health service a lot of money. Kenny did a video of the occasion, and I have attached it to this post for you to view. Kenny has done a great job, and I am sure you will love it. It just so happens that Forget Me Notes is seven years old this month. What a way to celebrate.
Friday was spent at Strachan House and Craighall. We had a good-sized group at Strachan House but one or two people being unwell meant not as many as usual. This allowed us the opportunity to work closely with those who did come. We discovered one resident was a pianist and had played at the recent service that was held in the home. We heard other snippets relating to the lives of the residents and through music we were able to celebrate what makes them unique with a story all their own. In the afternoon we were at Craighall for another session. One of the residents who we have met there is not well. He was a long-distance runner who won a lot of different titles for running. He is also a lovely warm human being, and we had the privilege of singing with him. However ill he is when we sang “Wonderful World”, he joined in singing the words with a faint movement of his lips. These privileged moments are ones that I value so much.
What a week and now we start another with new opportunities, new stories and people to value. Have a great week.