From the Outdoors to Indoors! Annie Mawson’s Sunbeams Music Trust, (Sunbeams), resumes indoor activities with health and safety at the forefront moving forward with Covid-19.
As a Health and Wellbeing Setting, it is essential that Sunbeams continues to implement guidelines to ensure the health and safety of all those involved.
Protecting the health and safety of employees, beneficiaries, musicians, volunteers and third parties on our premises is at the forefront of our minds when re-opening the Sunbeams Music Centre. Sunbeams is fortunate to have a bespoke Centre that benefits greatly from being a ‘Breathable Building’. A breathable building is designed to be healthy for its occupants because it is:
- Vapour-permeable, meaning its materials allow for the buffering of excess water thereby allowing water vapour to be discharged.
- Designed to decrease the risk of respiratory ailments as a result of vapour discharge.
- Designed to enhance both the physical and mental health of its occupants.
Strict COVID precautions continue to be in place at the Sunbeams Centre, with signing in procedures and checks, enhanced deep cleaning of the premises, and all the instruments – which the beneficiaries have been so enjoying during the outdoor sessions. All the Corporate companies are returning for their meetings, their AGMs, their Conferences – acknowledging the beauty of the Centre and its Sensory Garden and Orchard and indeed, the safety of the clever design incorporating all the Breathing Building Principles.
Inclusivity and connection… Sunbeams will continue to deliver Sunbeams Music For Life® and Music For Dignity® Projects online using Zoom to over 1,000 beneficiaries every month – 1,027 at the last count! There are still many vulnerable people within society at increased risk of becoming extremely poorly if they were to catch COVID-19
Zoom has been an immensely valuable tool for Sunbeams to deliver its Community Music Projects, keep in touch with and offer support to its beneficiaries and their family/carers, especially those who reported high levels of loneliness during the pandemic. Some people lost social support from families, friends, and neighbours during this time especially those who live in rurally isolated villages in Eden and Allerdale where the Coronavirus is still so rife (worst in England on 4 October 2021). The value of communication technology for keeping in touch was clear.
While no situation is risk free, all of us can play our part by understanding the situations where risks of COVID-19 infection and transmission are likely to be higher, and taking action to reduce these risks is paramount. COVID-19 will be a feature of our lives for the foreseeable future, so we need to learn to live with it and manage the risk to ourselves and others.
We look forward to welcoming you back to enjoy the unique facilities and services provided at the Sunbeams Music Centre!
Annie Mawson MBE 22nd October 2021
Glassical Performance Hall