The Swan Song Project wins national award for bereavement support

Leeds-based charity The Swan Song Project has recently been awarded a ‘Shine a Light’ award for going above and beyond to support bereaved people across the country.

The Swan Song Project is a unique charity that helps terminally ill and bereaved people write songs as a way of processing their experiences and creating a special musical legacy.

The project began at the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford in May 2017 and has since expanded to work with seven hospices across the region as well as accepting referrals nationally from a range of organisations.

The charity was founded by songwriter Ben Buddy Slack who regretted not recording his Grandma singing before she passed away.

He then thought how special it would be to have written a song with her before she died.

The charity now has a team of eight songwriters and has helped more than 150 families to write Swan Songs.

The Shine a Light awards were organised by The Good Grief Trust to recognise ‘people, places and projects that go above and beyond to support bereaved people up and down the country’.

Almost 100 nominations were received, and The Swan Song Project was chosen to receive one of the awards.

The award ceremony was held in Bournemouth on December 8 to end National Grief Awareness Week 2024.

Ben Buddy Slack, founder of The Swan Song Project, said: “We are incredibly honoured to have received this award. There are so many amazing organisations supporting bereaved people across the country and to be recognised amonst them is really special.

“When I started Swan Song, I didn’t know if anyone was going to want to do it. It’s amazing now to see how many songs we have helped to create and to be receiving national recognition.

“Swan Songs are so special. They can have a profound impact in such difficult times and I hope we can help to write many more for years to come.”