How Memory Lane is making a difference for people living with dementia

From rediscovering musical passions to creating meaningful connections, our Memory Lane dementia groups demonstrate how music can support wellbeing, confidence and community.

Music has a unique ability to bring people together. A familiar melody can spark a memory, a favourite song can lift someone's spirits, and singing together can create a sense of connection and belonging.

At SoundLincs, we've seen the impact music can have through our Memory Lane dementia groups. Now, our Power of Music case study explores how the project has supported people living with dementia and their carers across Lincolnshire, the difference it is making, and our plans to build on this work.

Bringing people together through music

Older adults in rural Lincolnshire can face significant barriers to accessing support, alongside the challenges of social isolation, health inequalities and living with dementia.

Memory Lane was developed to help address these challenges by providing welcoming, dementia-friendly music sessions. Supported initially through the Power of Music Fund, the project began in South Lincolnshire, with delivery later expanding into South Kesteven and East Lindsey through additional funding.

Our sessions are person-centred and shaped around the people taking part. From group singing and musical games to favourite songs and familiar melodies, activities are designed to encourage participation, creativity and enjoyment in a relaxed, non-judgemental environment.

The groups also provide valuable opportunities for carers to connect with others and enjoy positive shared experiences alongside their loved ones.

The impact of music in action

Between April 2024 and August 2026, Memory Lane engaged 220 unique beneficiaries, demonstrating the reach of the project and the importance of accessible creative health opportunities.

Working in partnership with Dr Robert Dean at the University of Lincoln, we developed an evaluation framework to better understand the impact of our sessions on participants’ emotional wellbeing. Feedback is gathered before and after each session to explore changes in how participants feel. As part of this process, participants use a word cloud to select words that reflect their emotions before and after taking part, helping us to better understand their experiences.

Our findings show encouraging shifts in how people feel. Before sessions, participants reported feeling anxious, withdrawn or apprehensive. Afterwards, these feelings were no longer recorded in the evaluation results, with participants instead describing emotions such as feeling energised, joyful and uplifted.

But the impact goes beyond the data. It's also found in the personal stories of the people who attend.

Rediscovering confidence and a love of music

One participant, who lives with dementia and is blind, rediscovered his passion for playing the saxophone through Memory Lane. Playing by ear, he began improvising along to familiar songs, including Hello, Dolly! and Unforgettable.

His confidence grew throughout the project. He even composed a piece of music for his niece as a present and continued playing saxophone for residents at his care home. He also began attending a local choir.

Reflecting on the sessions, he shared:

“I wish they could go on forever.”

It's a powerful reminder that music can help people reconnect with their interests, express themselves creatively and discover new opportunities to participate.

Creating moments of joy for participants and carers

Memory Lane also supports people who may be experiencing loneliness alongside the challenges of dementia.

One session brought together a participant with dementia and his wife, who had both been feeling low. Through a combination of keyboard playing, singing, music bingo and listening to their favourite pieces, the couple became visibly brighter as the session progressed.

The music created a shared experience that brought them enjoyment and connection.

As one member of care home staff explained:

“Music is really important as it lifts their spirits and connects people and provides conversation as they talk about the sessions afterwards.”

These moments demonstrate why creating opportunities to enjoy music together matters, for participants, their carers and the wider community around them.

Building a sustainable future for Memory Lane

Delivering music sessions across rural Lincolnshire brings challenges, including transport difficulties, care staffing pressures and changes to local support services. Funding pressures can also make it harder for community groups to maintain regular activities.

To help address these challenges, SoundLincs has been developing a more sustainable approach. By demonstrating the value of our work, we've been able to transition some sessions within dementia day support into a paid-for model, helping care providers continue to offer music activities while allowing project funding to reach other communities.

We're also exploring opportunities to extend this approach to more residential care homes and day centres, while seeking further funding to maintain and expand our community-based work.

Our ambition is to ensure that more people living with dementia, including those in underserved rural areas, can access meaningful musical experiences and the social connections they can bring.

Thank you to our funders

The Power of Music Fund, delivered by the National Academy for Social Prescribing, played a vital role in helping SoundLincs establish and develop Memory Lane. Alongside this, SoundLincs has utilised the East Lindsey Social Isolation Fund, allowing development of our provision into East Lindsey.

Following the completion of our impact report, the Power of Music team also helped put SoundLincs forward to The Utley Foundation for further funding. We're delighted to have been awarded £6,500 from The Utley Foundation to support the continuation of our Memory Lane dementia groups.

We're incredibly grateful to our funders for recognising the value of music in dementia support and helping us build on the work already taking place across Lincolnshire.

Discover the full Memory Lane case study

Memory Lane shows how investing in creative approaches, listening to participants and gathering evidence of impact can help projects develop and reach more people.

From individual stories of rediscovered confidence to the wider impact on emotional wellbeing and social connection, our case study explores what we've learned, the challenges we've faced and what comes next.

If you would like to read our full Power of Music case study to discover more about the impact of Memory Lane and how we're working to make music accessible to more people living with dementia. Click here