A Gloucestershire charity dedicated to transforming young people’s lives through music has won a top NHS award.

The Music Works, which has supported thousands of young people experiencing challenging circumstances, scooped the regional Health Equalities Award in the 2024 Parliamentary Awards following a nomination by Forest of Dean MP, Matt Bishop.

Using music as a powerful tool to help young people reach their full potential in learning and life, the charity works regularly with around 4,500 young people aged 8-30 through community work and a further 3,500 through events.

As a member of the Gloucestershire Creative Health Consortium, The Music Works offers arts on prescription through several programmes that support children and young people experiencing disadvantages. Arts on prescription programmes allow healthcare professionals to ‘prescribe’ arts activities to support mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Programmes run by the Music Works include The Drop (open access sessions for young people), Key Changes (a programme for young people struggling with their mental health), Transitions (for young people who need additional support during the move from primary to secondary school), and the Health Inequalities programme (music mentoring, targeted outreach, after school clubs, and holiday programmes in areas where people face disadvantages), all of which are designed to create positive change in the lives of young people.

Khady Gueye, Director of Community and Place at The Music Works said:

“We were delighted to find out about the award and it’s a very meaningful endorsement of our work.

“We’re a music charity and music, arts and creativity are all vehicles that we can use to tackle issues that young people are facing whether it’s isolation, disability, physical or mental health.

“Isolation is a key theme so a lot of the focus is on the social element for young people, helping them gain confidence and build their self-esteem so they can get back out and start interacting with their peers.

“Other challenging circumstances that young people might be navigating include youth justice, the care system or being a refugee.”

As well as a state-of-the-art studio in Gloucester City, The Music Works brings expert knowledge and experience to benefit young people at a Forest of Dean hub based in Cinderford.

Last year, The Music Works reached 8,064 young people, of whom:

  • 55% had at least one challenging circumstance
  • 690 had additional needs/disability
  • 625 had a pupil premium of 25% or more
  • 311 had a mental health challenge
  • 47 had a long term physical health condition.

Hannah Gorf, Senior Programme Manager: Healthy Communities and Individuals at NHS Gloucestershire said:

“Reading the judges’ comments has been so uplifting, and there is a clear acknowledgment that the charity has been providing a route out of poverty and deprivation which is exactly what it aims to do.

“There is no higher praise for Music Works than being described as ‘at the heart’ of health equalities.”

The charity will now go on to represent the South West in the national awards ceremony at the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster on Monday October 14.