A charity that helps people recovering from illnesses "with music that ignites their souls" has celebrated its tenth anniversary.
The Spitz Charitable Trust takes its name from the East End venue at the Spitalfields Market complex in Commercial Street, which was forced to close in 2007 after "years of magic" amid soaring rents.
Devastated fans started a campaign to keep it open — but the cost of operating on the ‘City fringe’ made it impossible.
Spitz founder Jane Glitre set up the charity at the end of 2013, seven years after her venue closed.
It now operates from Islington’s Bridgeside Lodge care home in Wharf Road, near The Angel, and has celebrated its tenth anniversary.
“Our musicians help people nurture memories with music that ignites their souls,” Jane says.
“We’ve been working with some of the world’s most talented jazz, folk and blues musicians for 10 years, using music to lift spirits with a personalised approach.”
The trust “took residence” in the care home in 2018 and stages concerts and one-to-one sessions for patients there, as well as touring hospitals like Great Ormond Street and Northwick Park.
Performances are given for those with brain injuries, receiving end-of-life care and even for babies in intensive care in hospital.
One care home patient, Jackie Bayton, had a devastating brain injury four days before she was due to marry in 2018, leaving her between a vegetative and minimally conscious state.
The former NHS mental health nurse had brain bleeding and spent eight months in hospital before arriving at Bridgeside Lodge in 2019. The prognosis was that the 53-year-old was unlikely to improve.
But the Spitz musicians and singers have been helping her — note by note.
Jackie’s fiancé Matt Moir, who visits daily, said: “She now displays emotion with facial expressions and turns her head, smiling and making eye contact, much more aware of her surroundings.”
The song they were to have at their wedding was It Must be Love, which The Spitz play regularly to her.
“It’s slowly helping to bring her back,” Matt tells you. “Music should never be underestimated for its healing powers.”
Spitz marked its 10-year milestone with a party in the care home, where another patient with a severe brain injury has been writing songs with them for the past year - and performed his latest at the celebration.
Dementia consultant Dr Mahua Chatterjee ran a two-week study with The Spitz to see how music affects patients’ moods. Nine-out-of-10 responses saw improvement after performances, they found.
The Spitz is launching a public awareness campaign this year about using music in therapy and a crowdfunding appeal to keep the trust’s vital work going.
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