The beat goes on for community rhythm group after National Lottery funding boost

A community drumming group is set to help improve the mental health and wellbeing of people in Oldham after receiving £10,000 in National Lottery funding.

Community Rhythms has received the grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, to establish a new drumming and wellbeing group in the town after successfully hosting one in Burnley over the last seven years.

The sessions allow people to relieve the symptoms of depression, reduce stress and anxiety and form new friendships through the therapeutic medium of drumming, all while improving their general fitness.

The new sessions will be open to all ages and abilities, with the group in Burnley ranging from eight to 76-years-old.

The new funding will also allow the organisation to purchase new equipment, secure a place to rehearse in and train its staff.

Community Rhythms is the brainchild of husband and wife team Ed Grimley and Elaine Davies who, after both playing in community drumming bands, realised that percussion could be used as a fun and creative way to bring people together.

The couple soon attracted a wide range of people from a variety of different backgrounds, from those looking to build stronger connections within the community, to those looking to partake in the wellbeing sessions as a means of continuing their recovery from addiction.

Since launching in Burnley, the group has increased from six participants to 45 active members each month, and is now looking forward to increasing this significantly as it spreads its net wider across Greater Manchester.

Elaine Davies, Director of Community Rhythms, said: “Drumming can relieve depression, reduce stress and anxiety, is a fun way to burn calories and boost cardio and is a great way to reduce social isolation.

"Many of our members have formed new friendships and discovered a creative side to themselves that they never thought they had.”

With the help of the National Lottery grant, the group also plans to grow its inhouse band and perform at more community events, which have previously included the Manchester Day Parade.

To help its drummers reach their potential, the grant is also being used to develop young local musician Eddie Russell (22), to become the group’s musical director.

Elaine added: “By running the new group alongside the existing band, we can increase the number of players we have available for larger performances, giving us more scope to entertain people and inspire them to take part themselves.  

“We cannot thank the National Lottery Community Fund and Lottery Players enough.

"This support will give people in Oldham the opportunity to try something new, develop friendships, be creative and develop their confidence through drumming.

"The past few years have made it really tough for people to reach out and feel connected to their community, we're proud to have been given the opportunity to create a new and exciting group where everyone is welcome to join in.”

In total, over 200 charities and community groups across Greater Manchester have been awarded almost £5.8 million of National Lottery funding over the last three months.

The region isn’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding, as today it was announced that almost £135 million has been distributed to over 2,400 community organisations across England in the past three months.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes across the UK. 

In the last 12 months we have given out nearly £600 million to 12,500 organisations reaching every local authority and constituency in the UK. 

Gillian Halliwell, Head of Regional Funding for The National Lottery Community Fund in the North West, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding will have a huge impact on people’s lives in the Greater Manchester area. 

"Our funding plays a big role in helping communities to unleash their potential and it is great to see groups like Community Rhythms making a positive difference and continuing to support their communities to thrive.”

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