An incredible charity which helps people with terminal illness write and record
their own original songs has launched a fifth birthday fundraiser.
The Swan Song Project is hoping to raise £50,000 to invest in expanding its unique, free-of-charge song-writing support services.
The Leeds-based charity works with people facing the end stages of their lives and helps them to write and record their own personal songs to leave behind for families and loved ones.
It also helps people dealing with bereavement to write songs about those they
have lost.
Founded by songwriter Ben Buddy Slack in 2017, the small charity has grown
steadily over five years and helped more than 100 people write their own swan
songs.
Due to rapidly increased demand last year, seven new songwriters have been
brought in, and its fifth birthday fundraiser has been launched to help it enable more
people to celebrate life in a song.
Creative director Ben said: “We are very keen to help more people either facing the
end of their lives or dealing with bereavement to write their own songs.
“We believe the process of writing a song can help people come to terms with life,
death, loss and bereavement by helping them to express what they feel and what
they want to say. It can be deeply therapeutic – and fun too. Also, a song can live
forever and carry precious messages, memories, comfort and joy to its listeners
whenever they wish.
“We hope our landmark fifth birthday fundraiser will help us to help more people write
their swan songs in future.”
The charity now has songwriters based in Leeds, Sheffield and York, and its home has recently been moved out of Ben’s garage to the famous Old Chapel Studies in Leeds.
The charity provides its service free to those who are often going through challenging times when they come in to write their songs.
Each participant has their own song professionally produced, recorded and presented to them in a digital format and CD.
Relying entirely on donations to fund its work, it is estimated that it costs between
£400 and £500 to write and record one song. Donations for The Swan Song Project are welcomed via the charity’s website and their Just Giving page.
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Feature image – The Swan Song Project
