How often do we find ourselves reminiscing to our friends and loved ones about the music that has shaped our lives?

A good song or tune can stay with you forever and it is only when you call them to mind that those significant memories of place and people, love and friendship, come flooding back.

Music is a powerful unifying force that binds relationships. It forms part of the story of our lives and links our past with the present and future. We all have our favourites and most of us are fortunate enough to be able to reconnect with our memories and share those favourites with others.

But a story is not a story without someone to share it with. For some of us, the music has become a distant memory, lost in the silence of isolation and loneliness.

There are unfortunately many people in our very rural communities who are in danger of losing touch with their world. The Covid 19 global pandemic has worsened their feelings of isolation, compromising any positive physical and mental states of their wellbeing.

These can be lonely and depressing times for many and it is so imortant that our most isolated residents remain connected to their communities, share their lives with others and even make a few new friends through music, song and laughter.

The SEALL@Home (or SEALL aig an Taigh in Gaelic) outreach programme is making a real and positive difference to the emotional and physical wellbeing of our communities' older people and those who have become socially isolated from their networks and friends.

When the Covid 19 pandemic broke out in March, we received money from the Scottish Government's Wellbeing Fund to begin a two-month pilot project to provide free online music sessions in our care homes and for the service users of Kyleakin Connections.

We used Zoom to connect our audience to musicians who put on weekly music concerts and workshops across June and July. These concerts were live and interactive and introduced by local musician and familiar face on Skye, Iseabail Strachan.

Participants were encouraged to take a walk down memory lane and share their own memories, stories and songs which culminated in a very special playlist. Some of the tunes from their playlists will be showcased in a special online performance on Wednesday, 23 September, at 7.30pm.

This project is very special. Not only are service users, musicians, staff and families able to come together through some great music, but everyone has enjoyed sharing a little part of themselves to others. Some wonderful memories were made.

The grant has now run out and, while we apply for more, we need to keep up the momentum, maintain connections and keep this project going for the next three months until more funding has been secured.

Your donation will pay the fees of our local musicians as well as help continue to create more moments of real joy to some of the most isolated and vulnerable members of our rural communities.