The Freemasons of Devon were contacted last November and asked to consider contributing to a project initiated by the Bath Philharmonia to help Young Carers in Plymouth find support and companionship in their lives through music
They were to appear at the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth later that month and again at the Forum Theatre in Bath in January. The result was unanimous agreement, and a sum of £1,500 was donated.
Representatives from the Freemasons were invited to attend one of the shows. It was decided that the Forum show was the one to visit, and what a good choice it turned out to be, as not only were sixteen of the thirty young carers who set out at the very start of their musical journey travelling to appear that night but, unbeknown to them when they made their choice, Nicola Benedetti the world-renowned violinist was to appear that night before starting her new world tour.
Uniquely, Bath Philharmonia has committed to include its creative learning projects – music created by young carers and school-aged children - in every concert programme. The music these young people make during the Bath Phil workshops is then orchestrated and performed on stage accompanied by the orchestra's professional musicians. If you happen to see one of their concerts, you will see the young people fully integrated into the orchestra, with children standing among the different sections of the orchestra. Imagine what it must feel like when you have only been playing an instrument for a few weeks and are performing your music on stage to an audience of over 1,600!
Bath Philharmonia has developed a nationally recognised creative learning experience with Young Carers. They want as many young carers as possible to participate in music-making because they know that it can change lives and make a difference.
A Young Carer is a child (aged 5-18) who has a significant caring responsibility for a family member who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs or alcohol. With an average age of 13 years old, Young Carers' caring roles can affect their education, friendships, health & wellbeing. The Bath Phil targets young carers who are most at risk, with many of these children receiving multi-agency support.
Over the last 15 years, they have been building their work in the Southwest of England, reaching Young Carers in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Central Bedfordshire and, through a recent Youth Music grant, they extended their reach to Plymouth, Torbay, Somerset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Pool, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Each community establishes partnerships between local music
leaders and young carer support organisations. They are committed to ensuring their work has a legacy far beyond the week-long residencies, and in some of the more mature partnerships, local music leaders are now leading projects with young carers. By adopting this more sustainable approach to the pioneering work of Bath Phil, they aim to enhance the future of even more young carers through music.
In 2022, they reached over 200 young carers to co-create and perform their own music and supported ten local music leaders to explore their role in championing music-making for young carers in their communities.
They have worked with Plymouth's Youth Service since 2019, delivering their unique, weeklong orchestral residency for their growing number of young carers. As a local authority, Plymouth is working hard to alleviate child poverty and recently estimated that one in five children in the authority are living in poverty. The young carers Bath Phil reaches here have this additional financial challenge on top of other challenges they face through their caring responsibilities.
Because the orchestra works in partnership with the Youth Service in Plymouth, they have been able to target young people who are most in need. As they return to the area each year, the work is building momentum, and the demand far outweighs the number of children they can reach.
In the autumn of 2023, Bath Phil created a project based on resilience, taking penguins and robots as their creative inspiration and encouraging children to pick up instruments they had never played before. At the end of the week, the children performed their music at The Barbican and in January 2024, they were invited to perform one of their pieces of music – "Penguins" – with Bath Philharmonia at The Forum in Bath. During the project, the orchestra's creative learning team took the children through a series of activities to help them create music and artwork that explored resilience. The team started a group conversation about resilience and explored how penguins huddle together to keep warm and use each other to provide shelter from their environment. Like penguins, Plymouth Young Carers provide their own supportive network, fostering a sense of belonging and connectivity with other young people who share similar challenges.
The Bath Philharmonia Development Manager, Melita Armitage, said:
"Our work with young carers is very important to us, and we are so proud of the music they produce and the joy it brings to so many. We know that music has the power to transform lives, and we know that these children, in particular, find it challenging to access music making. The funding that the Devonshire Freemasons made available was critical to the success of this project. You made a difference to a very special group of young people. Thank you."
The Freemasons Charity Steward Anthony Eldred replied:
"I was so impressed to see the cheerful resilience of these young people and the enthusiasm and confidence they showed during the performance. The Bath Phil project is clearly having a very positive effect on the lives of these young carers, and Devonshire freemasons have been delighted to provide some much-needed support."
