An organisation in Somerset has received £10,000 of National Lottery funding to deliver musical activities for new dads and their young children in the local area.
Based in Bath, Evolve Music is committed to supporting dads from across Bristol, Bath and Radstock to bond with their child through musical activities offered by the Dads Rock Bath project.
Developed in partnership with a mental health charity, the programme aims to help dads who are struggling with their mental health or who are supporting a partner with perinatal depression, providing opportunities for new dads to gather together to socialise and develop peer support networks.
The grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, will enable the organisation to continue its musical activities to help new dads to improve their communication, confidence and self-esteem after the life changing experience of becoming a parent.
Dads Rock Bath offers free sessions to dads and is built around significant evidence that music can play a valuable role in supporting mental health, wellbeing and caregiver-child attachment.
The popular Saturday morning sessions are free to local families and provide an inclusive space where handheld percussion, world instruments, song and educational themes help to develop babies’ and young children’s communication, physical and social skills, as well as parental bonding.
One in ten* new dads experience depression related to pregnancy and birth. Babies and infants of parents affected by perinatal depression can often miss out on opportunities to socialise and play at a crucial period of development. When it comes to young children bonding with their primary caregiver in the first year of life, research shows the importance of musical interaction.**
The funding from The National Lottery Community Fund will now help the project to fill a gap in provision for men who are underserved when it comes to opportunities to build their own parental communities and support networks, with baby and toddler activities traditionally targeting mums or having a higher proportion of mums attending.
Annette Burghes, Executive Director at Evolve Music, said, “Evolve Music is delighted to have secured funding from The National Lottery Community Fund for Dads Rock in Bath and send a huge thank you to the National Lottery players for making this happen.”
The National Lottery Community Fund awards grants to strengthen society and improve lives across the UK. Thanks to National Lottery players, it will distribute at least £4 billion by 2030, supporting activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
Over 500 charities and community groups across the South West have been awarded almost £20 million of National Lottery funding over the last four months***.
Juliet Williams, Head of Funding for the South West at The National Lottery Community Fund, said, “Thanks to National Lottery players and the hard work and dedication of local groups and projects such as Evolve Music, this funding will make a huge difference to people’s lives across the South West. The quality of applications we receive speaks volumes of the care and ingenuity of local people – we’re delighted that our grants are being used to support great projects that strengthen communities and improve lives in our region in many ways.”
To find out how to take part in Dads Rock sessions in Bristol, Bath and Radstock, go to https://evolvemusic.org.uk/what-we-do/families/dads-rock
** https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Articles/2020/12/09/Why-Making-Music-Matters
*** These figures are for funding awarded from 25th February – 30th June 2023.