English National Ballet
ENB Connecting Neighbourhoods: Dance & Wellbeing
To support Dance for Parkinson’s and Dance for Dementia programmes to bring communities together virtually or in person for upbeat ballet, music and cultural events, to help combat social isolation, temporarily reduce symptoms, promote expression and build a network for participants and carers.
It ran from 12:00 PM, 1 December 2020 to 12:00 PM, 8 December 2020
Registered Charity in England and Wales (214005)
Match funded Campaign target
£60,000
Amount raised
£60,820
Donations
129
Championed by The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust
Location
United Kingdom
Campaign overview
Aims
Where's the money going?
Impact & reporting
Situation
Parkinson’s affects 1 in 350 people, with 18,000 new cases each year. Around 850,000 people have dementia in the UK and the proportion is significantly higher in Tower Hamlets than the London average. We want to address the common social barriers, including isolation, mental wellbeing, lack of exercise and access to cultural opportunities. Covid-19 has increased anxiety and inactivity, for people with these illnesses, and decreased their confidence and opportunities for social interactions.
Solution
We will create online Dementia Cafés and DfP classes from January and relaunch classes at our Canning Town home from April. Classes include live music and dance to encourage creativity, rhythm and expression, helping to build confidence and strength and temporarily relieving daily symptoms. Working with local Parkinson’s UK branches, Alzheimer’s Society, Tower Hamlets and Newham Boroughs, we will establish a key resource for east London, specifically for the area’s diverse ethnic minorities.
"With such limited opportunities to get out and about and keep in touch with friends and stimulating company, the zoom sessions are an absolute joy"
— Dance for Parkinson's London Participant
“The classes give me such a “lift” in mood – they are such fun so the exercise we get doesn’t feel focused on exercises as such but happens without any noticing. Classes are about more than just going through the motions."
— Dance for Parkinson's participant
“The shared difficulties were a constant source of humour…I just felt it opened up so many opportunities to get to know some really nice people.”
— Dance for Parkinson's participant