Unity, authenticity, joy and wellbeing through music
Our impact
“In the time I’ve been with Open Harmony, I’ve realised the dream to play guitar”
Of our community of 45 members:
91% (41) say they have increased confidence and wellbeing
49% (22) are leading and inspiring others through the creative projects (e.g. performances, producing their own music) they've started during their time spent with Open Harmony
47% (21) have entered training, education, volunteering or paid employment
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172 group sessions delivered to our community members since June 2020: online via zoom, in-person and a mixture of both online and in-person sessions
80 outreach sessions delivered with 1,000+ attendances to various groups e.g. adults with learning disabilities at Fordhall Farm, looked after children at Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation, people living with dementia and their carers in nursing homes, young people needing support to live independent lives at the Hive
Since incorporation in July 2019 until July 2025, Open Harmony have delivered a total of 469 group music sessions (750 hours) with 2,917 attendances.
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We have directly benefitted 1,680 people.
In the last year (August 2024 until July 2025), we delivered 79 group music sessions with 392 attendances:
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36 virtual meetups with 103 attendances
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17 physical meetups in Shrewsbury with 138 attendances
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22 physical meetups in Wellington with 122 attendances
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Many of these sessions served our ‘Core Open Harmony Community’: a peer-supported community of people with the common interest of music and needing support with their emotional wellbeing. This community grew to 83 members this year. It is mediated through regular group music sessions, group communications and a private facebook group. We also provide personalised, holistic 1:1 and group support.
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We also provided ‘outreach’ music sessions to Telford Young Carers, aged 4 – 18, to help give them a creative outlet and emotional support.
Social Value and Return on Investment 2023/4
We calculated Open Harmony’s social value according to the calculations within the Shropshire Council Social Value framework (https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/social-value/measuring-social-value/ ) which is based on the Social Value TOM system.
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Our social value this year using these metrics is estimated as £102,772.
NB: this does not include the social value of health and wellbeing – which is our main mission – so this figure is likely to be an underestimate.
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Our expenditure this year was £19,722.
Therefore our Return on Investment,
RoI = (Gain from Investment – Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment
= (£102,772 – £19,722) / £19,722
= 4.2
Our Return on Investment for 2023/24 is estimated to be 4.2 : 1
NB: not taking into account the social value of health and wellbeing.
Impact on mental health and wellbeing in the community
Through continual spoken and written feedback, our community members have told us they have increased confidence and wellbeing because of engaging with Open Harmony.
This is demonstrated through:
Increased social connections and friendships;
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A reported reduction in anxiety, low mood, and a decreased reliance on statutory services for support and intervention;
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Taking opportunities to lead and/or inspire other people in the community (or wider community) through creative projects e.g. playing, writing, producing or teaching music (see Creative Leadership below);
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Taking up volunteering and leadership opportunities that we provide or being supported into work or training.
Creative Leadership
Our music services are co-produced with our member community. Both the design and running of our group music sessions are led by our members. Over time, these activities build skills and confidence and help people live more independent and creative lives.
In this way, we have enabled thirty ‘creative leaders’ to emerge who are leading their own creative initiatives in the towns and villages where they live. Examples include guitar tuition, original song production, and volunteering with Open Harmony.
Volunteering and work experience opportunities
Seven of our members, to date, have volunteered to help run and deliver Open Harmony activities
“Volunteering with open harmony has made a big impact in on both my mental health and confidence in such positive ways... Seeing individuals who might struggle with basic tasks come alive musically—it speaks volumes about the importance of this group.”
During the financial year to July 2024, there were 388 volunteer hours (up from 297 in July 2023) given by seven volunteers.
Volunteer activities include:
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Co-designing and co-producing our music programme;
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Support for increasing income;
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Shaping our values, strategy, and policy;
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Planning and delivering group music sessions;
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Supporting community members;
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Helping to safeguarding members through promotion of a positive safeguarding culture;
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Peer support via debriefing, sharing experiences and mutual care and respect;
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Training and development;
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Developing positive partnerships across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin;
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Helping design evaluations;
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Transforming the website and our media messages.
Staff and volunteer training and development
We have continued to invest in workforce continuing professional development (CPD), building on the Governance, Safeguarding and Volunteering-specific training of last year. We’ve continued to provide person-centred coaching and mentoring to each volunteer as part of our Volunteer Development Programme.
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Additionally, our staff members and volunteers have attended the following formal, external training courses or opportunities this year:
Health and Wellbeing
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Mental Health First Aid accreditation and training for 4 members of the team
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NHS/VCSE Health & Wellbeing Conference
Employment and Volunteering
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Living Wage Accreditation
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Chairing and running effective Committee/Trustee meetings
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DBS update service masterclass
Income Generation
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Government contract readiness
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Investment readiness
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Get Grants training: online AI Tools for fundraisers, using data in fundraising, storytelling, fundraising strategy, management for fundraisers, case for support, core costs
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Crowdfunding
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Meet the funder events
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Community fundraising
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Corporate fundraising
Arts in Health
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Impact of Cultural Compacts in promoting creative health activity
Local Partnerships
We are rooted in the local community via positive partnerships with other local organisations. We are pleased to report that this year saw continued development and deepening of our synergies with such organisations as Community Resource, Shropshire Infrastructure Partnership, Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care System/Board, and the wider VCSE sector across Shropshire Telford & Wrekin.