A PROJECT director of a charity in York is set to step down after more than 13 years of service supporting people in the city.

Fiona Chapman has announced that she will be stepping down from the day-to-day running of Musical Connections, after leading the project since it was put together.

Fiona set up Musical Connections in 2009, seeking to improve the lives of residents in City of York Council’s care homes. Since then, she has worked with a committed team to develop and expand the project, now running 10 weekly music groups and choirs for vulnerable and isolated people across the city.

In the last year, the charity has worked with over 200 people and supported nearly 20 more who have been unable to return to music sessions post-Covid-19. They have also included over 250 children and young people in additional intergenerational events.

Moving forward, Fiona will be taking a well-deserved break to spend more time with her family and will hand over the Musical Connections project management responsibilities to Abigail Hall and Charlotte Yandell - two musicians that have been dedicated members of the team for several years.

The pair said they are both wholly committed to the project and, during the lockdowns, took on additional responsibilities and developed new skills to ensure that the charity was able to cope with the challenges of Covid-19.

To celebrate the handover, Musical Connections musicians and members joined together on Friday (July 22) for an afternoon of music at Marjorie Waite Court.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "It was a wonderful opportunity for the charity’s music groups to come together and really captured the special nature of the Musical Connections family."

The chariry team were also presented with an award from York CVS for their ongoing work throughout the pandemic. 

Both Abigail and Charlotte, and the Musical Connections trustees and musicians, said they are now looking forward to the charity’s upcoming evolution and are highly focused on ensuring that it continues to thrive in a post-pandemic environment. To facilitate a smooth transition, Fiona will continue to mentor Abigail and Charlotte, and will provide support with finance and the writing of grant applications. She will also be joining the Board of Trustees in September.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Musical Connections team have been in frequent contact with over 60 of their most isolated members to offer them some support whilst their music groups are suspended due to Government restrictions.

For those who are able to access the internet, they launched a regular Facebook Live slot at 11am on Wednesday mornings - and they also explored the use of Zoom for a virtual community sing-along.

Anyone looking to get involved with the group can contact them on 01903 373011 or enquiries@musicalconnections.org.uk