Reaching the half way mark

Friday, I’m sure, would’ve been a sad day for many of my fellow World of Difference winners as it would’ve been the final day of their placement. We were all given the option of working for 2 months full-time or for 4 months part-time and, as we’ve now reached the 2 month stage, it marks the end of some of the winners’ World of Difference journey.

I’m working part-time so have reached the half-way mark and I’m delighted that I still have another 2 months to go! Things on the ‘coal-face’ are going really well with the project; patients are clearly benefitting from such things as having their own music on tap in the hospice, chatting about music and the memories it evokes, and watching musicians and singers perform. I’m also progressing well with organising the fundraising music night, though that’s all being done in my spare time and not under the auspice of the hospice! I’ve hit a few stumbling blocks with some aspects of the project, but I think that probably comes with the territory.

So, the next couple of months will be all about doing more of the same – using music to benefit the patients and wider Strathcarron community – and making sure that everything I’ve set up (and have still to set up) is sustainable. The second half of my placement is going to be just as busy and full-on as the first; I still consider it an incredible privilege to have been given the opportunity to carry out this work and I intend to carry on doing my best to ‘make a difference’ with every hour I spend amongst the lovely staff and patients at Strathcarron Hospice.

Finding a wonderful illustration of the power of music

Some of my Facebook friends have pointed me in the direction of a couple of video clips that’ve been doing the rounds recently. I absolutely love them! They kind of sum up what the very essence of my project at the hospice is all about. The people in the clip aren’t typical of the patients that I’ve been working with at the hospice as they’re elderly residents in an American nursing home; but the principle of using music to help reduce anxiety as well as ‘awaken’ emotions, memories and that very basic ‘feel-good’ factor is very much the same. Parts of the script could’ve been lifted straight from my original pitch to the hospice and the Vodafone Foundation!

I’ve read a lot about the ‘quickening art’ of music, but this is a really lovely illustration of that art in action. It’s at the very heart of what my project is all about; using music – sometimes in its most basic form – as a therapeutic tool to make a difference to the lives of Strathcarron’s very special patients. I hope you enjoy the clips as much as I did:

A dedication to the wee boy who made it all happen

I wouldn’t be familiar with the World of Difference Scheme, let alone be working on a placement funded by them, if it wasn’t for Linda. We met just over a year ago, when we started Module One of the COSCA Counselling Certificate together. Round about the same time, Linda was announced as one of the WoD winners, with her chosen charity being The Scottish Cot Death Trust. Linda chose The SCDT as she’d experienced, first hand, just how vitally important the support that this small organisation offers is. In Linda’s own words, from one of her own early blog posts on this site:

“my son died suddenly and unexpectedly aged two, no illness no warning, one day he was running around softplay, painting with his brother and friends the next day he had died. It IS every parent’s worst nightmare and it is one I have been living with for the last two years. But I guess my point is that the reason I am here is that I am inspired by my son’s strength of character, lust for life and the imprint he made on so many people (some who knew him, some who didn’t) in just two tiny years that it has made me take life by the horns and aim to do something meaningful… Gregor is without doubt my inspiration for being here today and wanting and needing to ‘make a difference’”

Today would’ve been Gregor’s 5th birthday. I, unfortunately, never had the pleasure of meeting him – but I do feel as if I know him as the essence of Gregor is kept very much alive by Linda, her husband and her other son Ben (whom I adore!). And what better example of that is this; Linda and Ben baked a cake for Gregor’s birthday! Isn’t it awesome:

So, I just want to take this opportunity to say a special Happy Birthday to Gregor. A great wee lad who inspired his mum to do something positive for other people, and whose mum, in turn, inspired me to have a go too. Our chosen charities are pretty different, but our objectives are pretty much the same – to do something meaningful and, of course, to make a difference.

Wearing a new badge

Well, today I worked at the hospice for the first time wearing this badge:

rather than this one:

And, it felt so good!

I’ve not really gone into any detail about my placement on this blog so, before I go any further, I think I should explain what it’s all about.

When I was thinking of a project that would make a difference to the hospice, I focussed on two of the things that I like to do best; listen to music and listen to people. By doing that, my ‘Myriad of Music’ idea started to take shape. It’s pretty simple, but often the simplest ideas are the most effective, and it basically involves bringing the therapeutic effects of music to Strathcarron in as many different ways as possible.

It’s common knowledge that listening to music, or singing along, can lift our spirits and help us to relax; especially if that music is meaningful to us. So, there lies the first part of my project; I’m going to spend a bit of time with patients, asking them about their favourite music (which should be a therapeutic process in itself) then make up a personal playlist of their favourite songs, or the music that’s most meaningful to them. The patient will then be supplied with their own MP3 player – after I’ve loaded it up with their personal playlists - for the duration of their stay at Strathcarron. With the patient’s permission, the playlist could be transferred onto a CD as a special keepsake for their family.

The single rooms in the hospice will also, hopefully, be provided with docks and speakers. I say hopefully because much of this part of my project is dependent on how much money I can raise, and how many donations I can pull in. I started fundraising a few weeks ago and, again, often the simplest ideas can be surprisingly effective. I made up a music quiz sheet, set up a Just Giving page, and sold the quiz sheets for £2 a go. I’d hoped to raise a couple of hundred pounds - which would’ve been enough to get me started with a number of MP3 players and some other accessories - but I’ve been overwhelmed by the response and have managed to reach a total of £970 so far. I’ve also been given, free of charge, a brand new Walkman by a local supplier - The Sony Centre in Bridge of Allan – and I’m hopeful that this proves to be the beginning of a partnership that’ll help me put more of my Myriad of Music ideas into practice.

I’m also going to be looking into the possibility of getting music ‘piped’ into the hospice’s bathrooms. I mean, what better way to relax is there than a good soak in the Jacuzzi bath with your favourite music playing over the bubbles?! And another thing I’ll be researching is a method by which patients who can’t leave their rooms can still feel a part of the things that are going on in and around the hospice. For instance, the second part of my placement involves bringing live music into Strathcarron. There’s a lovely area in the Day Care section which lends itself beautifully to wee groups of singers or musicians performing. However, many of the patients aren’t well enough to sit in Day Care so, to make everyone feel part of the experience, I’m hoping to facilitate the provision of CCTV cameras or camcorders that could ‘broadcast’ the performance to TV screens in the patients’ rooms. The system could also be used for things like watching the wildlife outside in the hospice's beautiful grounds – in fact, I’m sure there’ll be a multitude of different uses for such a system.

But, all of this costs money so – as much as my placement is not primarily about fundraising – the last part of the project should hopefully bring in enough cash to help put some more of these ideas into practice. And, what better way to raise money than a music event featuring the best rock and soul choir in Scotland?! A venue to host the night, starring my beloved Heart of Scotland Choir, has been booked for the eighteenth of May. Now I just need to leave myself enough time to get it properly organised, along with everything else I’m hoping to achieve while I’m working at Strathcarron! Yup, it’s going to be a really busy 4 months, but I simply can’t think of a better cause to be busy for!

Juggling two blogs

Here's the link to the post I've written for my other blog tonight. I think it says all I can muster before I head off to get organised for the first day of my placement at Strathcarron tomorrow....

Feeling rubbish, but getting a job done

This is a first for me; three blog posts in one day! It's only my second post here, but part of my commitment to the Vodafone Foundation World of Difference Scheme(which awarded me the Strathcarron Hospice placement) is to write a regular blog, so I got that off the ground earlier with the first post. So, three blog posts in one day! The new blog's on the World of Difference website and is hosted by Wordpress. I've not got a clue how best to tie the two blogs together (any tips folks?!) so, for the moment, here's the link to my new wee blog!

I've been feeling rubbish all day after a sleepless night (it's just a cold, but my head feels like a burst ball!), so it feels great to have got the new blog up and running. For now though, I'm off to vegetate in front of crappy Saturday night telly with a hot drink and paracetamol.

Atishooooo!

Clearing the decks

Oh dear; my blog seems to have gone for a Burton these days! I’ve just not been finding the time recently to sit down and write. Having said that, I have been sitting down plenty – and in front of the computer – but much of that time’s been taken up with completing the final assignment for my counselling certificate course, preparing for an interview at Strathclyde Uni next Monday (eek!), preparing the presentation I’ve to give on the last day of my course next Tuesday, getting the ball rolling with fundraising for my placement at Strathcarron and keeping on top of work work. (With, of course, the odd peek at Facebook in between!) The housework’s also gone for a Burton – but I’m not so bothered about that!

I don’t officially start my placement until the beginning of March, but I’m making a start by doing a wee fundraiser so that I can purchase some of the bits and bobs that I need to help bring my project to life. I decided to keep the fundraiser simple while giving it a ‘music’ theme, so I made up a music quiz sheet (if you fancy a shot, check out my Just Giving page!) and I’ve been using Facebook, Twitter, my email contact list, my voice – ocht, basically any method I can think of to punt the idea to as many people as possible! (I’m even using my wee blog...) I’m coming to realise some of the real benefits of social networking; I know it has many drawbacks, but for raising awareness and spreading the word, I think it’s great. I’m attending the ‘World of Difference Winner’s Launch Day’ down in London at the end of this month and I couldn’t help smiling when I read that one of the talks will be on ‘effective blogging’! We’re encouraged to use blogging as a means of raising awareness of our projects and to give a bit of publicity to our chosen charities. I like to think I’m just a wee bit ahead...

So, what am I actually going to be doing at Strathcarron? Well, I’ll be spending a lot of time talking and - more importantly - listening to patients and staff to discover how best music can be utilised to benefit both the inpatients and day care patients. Then I’ll be trying to facilitate some of those suggestions. It could be something as simple as setting up regular visits from local musicians and singers, organising a fundraising concert, installing a system for music to be piped to the bathrooms or treatment rooms, or researching the different forms of professional music therapy available and sourcing long-term funding. I’ll not manage to do all of that in my four month part time placement – but I’ll be doing my best to put every minute available to me and every penny I raise to the best possible use!

Something that I will be able to do straight away is provide MP3 players and accessories, thanks to the generosity of the people who’ve already bought a quiz sheet or made a donation! The idea is that I’ll spend some time with the patient chatting about music that’s meaningful to them so that I can make up personal playlists of their ‘special songs’ to download onto an MP3 player. The patient will have their own collection of special music and songs to listen to on their ‘own’ MP3 player at anytime and anywhere in the hospice – be it in bed, in the bath (with the appropriate equipment – more funds will be required!) or walking in the lovely grounds. If the patient has given prior permission, I’ll make up a wee CD of the playlist as a special keepsake for the family.

I was delighted when the hospice staff (who I presented all my placement ideas to) were most taken with the personal playlist suggestion and that that was the thing they were most keen to see put in place. I can’t wait to get started and the first of March can’t come quick enough. In the meantime, there's a bit of deck-clearing to do with the small matter of an interview, course presentation and manky house to sort out....

Being awarded a placement at Strathcarron

I received a message last week that made me take a sharp intake of breath, then say out loud (even though I was sitting on my own at the time), “Oh My God!.....Woohooo!...... Aw, that’s so Great!.......Oh Help!....”

I think I mentioned, in a previous post, that I was waiting to hear if I’d been successful in an application I’d made for a 4 month part-time placement; well, the message I received started with “Congratulations!” and went on to say “You’ve been awarded a placement on the Vodafone World of Difference Programme.” It’s the news I was so hoping for and I’m still, one week later, over the moon - but also pretty nervous about the task ahead! I’ve not been allowed to write anything about it before now as we were asked to keep it to ourselves until the Vodafone Foundation launched its own press release. Now that I’m free to talk about it, I don’t really know where to start!

I think I’ll leave the details for another post. But, basically, the Vodafone World of Difference Scheme awards 500 placements in the UK each year to people who would like to try to ‘make a difference’ to a charity of their choice. It doesn’t cost the charity a penny and it gives people, like me, who love working for their charity but can’t afford to volunteer for more than a few hours a week, the opportunity to spend more time helping out. I had to put together a kind of ‘pitch’ for what I would like to do and I came up with a project called ‘A Myriad of Music’. I have absolutely no professional qualifications in music, in any way, shape or form, but I do know that music can make a difference to people’s lives. So, I’m hoping to introduce some new things to the Hospice that will be both therapeutic and enjoyable for the patients, and I also hope to raise some money for Strathcarron as part of the process. I'm also really hoping to involve as many people in this as possible (and am hoping for some help along the way!) as music is something that so many people can benefit from - whether it's listening to it, sharing it, performing it or talking about it.

I’ll record more of the details in my next post; I just wanted to note on my wee blog how excited, chuffed and privileged I feel to have been given this fantastic opportunity to work with the lovely staff and patients at Strathcarron. I can’t wait to get started on the 1st of March – and once I manage to get my nerves in check - I’m sure I’m going to love every minute!

Here's the video I made to go along with my application; hopefully it gives you the general gist of what I'm going to be doing.

A bit of 2011 reflection

So, did I manage (√) or not (X) to achieve the things I was aiming for in 2011? Let’s see, in no particular order I was aiming to:

1. Get fit again - X
Failed miserably. Will try again this year. Must stop feeling sorry for myself because I had to give up running. It’s been over three years now – come on, get a grip woman! Get on your bike, get your walking shoes on, get in the pool, get off your arse!

2. Start training towards becoming a fully accredited counsellor - √
After years of toying with the idea, finally took the first step on the road to finding out if counselling’s really for me as a profession by starting the COSCA Counselling Certificate course. Module One: completed successfully with Rowan Consultancy at their Dunblane training centre along with a great bunch of fellow students. Made a special friend for life. Module Two: completed successfully at Stevenson College in Edinburgh, but intensely disliked the way the course was run. Got to know a new bunch of students, some of whom went on to become friends. Learned a lot - from the dreadful tutor - about how not to behave as a counsellor. Module Three: completed successfully with Rowan Consultancy at their Perth training centre. Met yet another new bunch of students and learned a lot - from the excellent tutor - about how to behave as a counsellor. I’m looking forward to starting Module Four next week and hope to be finished by mid-February and be awarded the full Certificate. That’ll be the first step towards accreditation in the bag. Next step – possibly the Postgraduate Diploma at Strathclyde Uni, if I’m successful in my application to the full-time course.

3. Complete some more Open University modules - √
Did lots of mumping and moaning when it came to assignment time, but I miss the essay-writing now that the modules are finished! If I don’t get on to the Postgrad Diploma course, OU here I come again!

4. Keep on top of work work - X and √
Failed miserably at keeping the office tidy; sometimes I was on top of work work, sometimes I was way behind. But, everything that needed to be done got done. That’s an overall tick in my book! Aiming to gut the office this year, keep it tidy and always be on top of work work...

5. Qualify as a Samaritans volunteer - √
Every moment of the long training program was worth it to end up in the privileged position of being trusted by callers - who are often deeply distressed - as they share their deepest fears and feelings. Along with every other SAM, this year I’m again aiming to play a part in reducing the number of deaths by suicide and, in turn, reduce the number of families who are deeply affected by the aftermath of a suicide.

6. Do more at the Hospice - X
Kept up my voluntary reception duties at Strathcarron, but never did manage to fit in the Bereavement Counselling training. I’m still waiting to hear if I’ve been successful in my application for a part-time placement at the Hospice through Vodaphone’s World of Difference scheme. Will hopefully know one-way-or-the-other by mid-January. Expect a very grumpy post if I get knocked back!

7. Stop listening when folk tell you you can’t do things - √√
Managed more than ever before not to let any porcupines spoil my party. I’m definitely getting better at following the ethos that I’ve brought my kids up with. It goes something like: “If someone laughs at you, or mocks you, or tells you you’re not capable of doing something, do it anyway. You’ll gain something just by giving it a go. Go looking for the things that you think’ll make you happy, don’t sit still and wait for them to find you. Your life will be so much better for doing that.”

8. Find a singing group in Stirling - √√√
After years of looking, found THE singing group in Stirling! This time last year I’d never even heard of The Heart of Scotland Choir. Now, it’s a big, big part of my life. I love it. I love the people that make up the whole choir family, I love Monday night rehearsals, I love the gigs and I simply love that something I love to do but have really only been doing in the shower or at parties for the past thirty years has become something I now do regularly here, there and everywhere! I’m so looking forward to more of the same this year!

9. Write more often - √
Even managed to get a little article published in the Samaritans News! Not quite Pulitzer Prize material, but we all have to start somewhere....! This year, yet again, I’m aiming for a proper published article. This is a good example of “it may never happen, but it’s all good as I’m doing something I love to do in the ‘trying’ process!”

10. Get thin again – X
Failed miserably. Must try harder! Have started the year off, a bit hypocritically, by starting on one of these ‘cut out the carbs’ diets. I’ve always been really critical of any method for losing weight that doesn’t just involve eating less and doing more. Sod it. I’m desperate!

11. Be happy - √ and X
It’s not possible to always be happy; let’s face it, life can be really shit sometimes. This year there’ve been times I’ve been worried, angry, stressed or sad. In the words of that famous old geezer Carl Jung, “There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t aim to be happy. So, I’m looking forward to another year of looking for the things that I think'll make me feel happy.

Definitely more ticks than crosses - that'll do for me. Right 2012, let's see what you've got to offer......

Being shortlisted!

I spent a fair amount of time recently putting together an application for a charity placement so I was absolutely delighted yesterday when I received confirmation that I’d been shortlisted for one of the available places. According to their website, over 11,000 folk applied to the Vodafone Foundation World of Difference scheme last year (which I first mentioned in this post), so I’m chuffed to have made it to the final 750!

Basically, the foundation funds 500 UK placements in the hope that the recipients will ‘make a difference’ to their chosen charity. As much as I get a whole load of satisfaction out of volunteering, I couldn’t afford to devote 15 hours a week for a four month period doing it. So, the idea is that the foundation pays the charity to ‘employ’ people for a short spell who would love to have a go at doing more for their chosen charity; it’s not a huge amount of money you’re paid, but it would be enough to allow me to justify sacrificing some of my ‘work, work’ time to doing more for Strathcarron Hospice.

The application process involved: coming up with a proposal of how I could ‘make a difference’ to Strathcarron; presenting it to the Hospice for their approval; then presenting it to the foundation judges in the form of an online submission. There was also an option to submit a supplementary video and, as I figured it was important to use every possible option available to make the application stand out from the other however-many-thousand that the judges would be sifting through, I wrote, recited and recorded me reading a wee poem about my plan to help the hospice. (I know it sounds naff, but I guess it kind of worked!)

So, some time during the next few weeks: my referees will be contacted; the hospice will be contacted (to check that they’re fully behind me working for them); and I’ll be contacted for a telephone interview (Help ma boab!). Then I’ll be told, anytime up to the middle of January, if I have a place. Once I know whether I’ve made it or not to the winning 500, I’ll be able to say more about what I’d actually be doing at the hospice, but I don't feel right about doing that till the placements have been awarded.

Suffice to say that the jist of my proposal would involve bringing ‘A Myriad of Music’ to the hospice, so it just seemed fitting that music has featured a lot in what’s been making me happy over the past few days. One of the things I miss most about the kids being away from home is the ‘sound’ of them being around the house. So, singing along with Gemma, as she was pottering about at the piano on Saturday afternoon when she was home for a flying visit, was just braw. I started secretly recording her with my phone – I’m obviously biased, but I just love to hear Gemma play and sing – and the wee video below is us giving it big licks with one of the songs that we love to sing together (I’m giving it my best shot with the low harmony that I’ve been taught at choir in the background! Hope I'm not infringing on Annie and Jane's copyright!). Me and Gemma would never make it on X Factor (thank goodness!), but the pleasure we get out of having a sing-song together beats all the fortune that that that kind of fame could bring!

So, that was the first thing. Then, I had choir last night. We’re full in the throes of rehearsing for our concert at Stirling’s Albert Hall on the 10th of December (have I mentioned that before?!) and last night the band that’ll be accompanying us came along to practise. I absolutely loved it. Aw man, I could’ve stood there singing all night. And, one of my favourites of the night was the one that Gemma and I had been playing around with on the wee video; Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’. It was the first song I learned with the choir, and it’s one of our family favourites. Just seemed so apt that it was so awesome last night.

Lastly, Alex and I are heading through to the Playhouse in Edinburgh tonight to see ‘We Will Rock You’. In a similar vein to the real Queen having two birthdays, me and Alex have two anniversaries; the 28th of June (to celebrate the day we got married) and the 29th of November (to celebrate the night we started going out – 31 years ago today!). So, what better way to round off my ‘Myriad of Music’ weekend than going to a musical that celebrates the music of a band that I love with the man that I love!

I'm feeling quite brave posting this wee video, I think I'm a bit carried away with the excitement of the past few days! No doubt I'll regret it tomorrow and pull it off the blog, but, in the meantime, here's me and Gemma making some noise (with no pictures to go with it)!