Students collaborate with local community partners to secure a £5000 grant

to support people living with lung diseases during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Students collaborate with local community partners to secure a £5000 grant to support people living with lung diseases during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Cheyne Gang, a local community singing group, who sing for lung health, in collaboration with ‘EPSRC Our Health’ students have been awarded a £5000 grant by The Edinburgh Local Community Grants Scheme. The grant will allow the Cheyne Gang and students to further develop digital platforms and virtual singing and breathing sessions, that will allow Cheyne Gang members to continue to improve their lung health during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

The Cheyne Gang is a high impact arts and health initiative which encourages people with long-term respiratory conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), to engage in artistic and creative activities. Through music and song, the initiative supports members to meet the challenges of their disease physically, mentally and socially. The Covid- 19 pandemic has prevented Cheyne Gang members from meeting and practicing the breathing and singing techniques, that have been carefully developed by health practitioners to help reduce the symptoms of lung disease.

By successfully securing the grant, the Cheyne Gang and students have ensured the Cheyne Gang’s website can be rapidly updated and maintained. Recording equipment, cameras and microphones can be purchased to allow singing coaches to record the instructor led singing and breathing sessions that will be made available to all Cheyne Gang members. This will allow members to continue to improve their lung health via the online sessions, while they are shielding at home

Early next year ‘Our Health’ students plan to visit 5% of Cheyne Gang members who do not have internet (if Covid-19 restrictions allow and in a socially distanced way). Students will supply members with tablets so that they can access the website, or give them DVD versions of the singing/breathing exercises if they cannot connect online.

‘Our Health’ is the University of Edinburgh’s Community-University Interdisciplinary Research Programme based at The Queens Medical Research Institute, CMVM. The programme is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and offers a unique and ground- breaking model for community-university engagement. ‘Our Health’ projects aim to create community-based research that invites local communities to set real-world research questions and agendas around health and wellbeing. Community partners work with interdisciplinary teams of student from across the University of Edinburgh, creating new knowledge that is shared and evolves as the partnerships develop.

‘Our Health’ students have been working on a research project with the Cheyne Gang since 2018, investigating the impact of the Cheyne Gang’s breathing techniques on lung physiology. Students intend to develop a ‘student blog’ within the Cheyne Gang’s website that allows them to engage with members around the shared research question that aims to improve members lung health long term.

The Edinburgh Local Community Grants Scheme funds projects that will bring value to new or existing partnerships between the University and local communities and have a positive social impact for local communities. The Cheyne Gang and students are extremely grateful for the opportunity Edinburgh Local have provided, in helping to tackle the challenge of ensuring that the Cheyne Gang stays happy, hopeful and healthy in these trying times.