The welcoming community group proving that music is the medicine we all need

In a world that can often feel lonely or overwhelming, one Manchester-based community group is proving that music really can change lives. 

Happy Signs CIC, founded just over three years ago, is using the power of song, dance, and connection to lift spirits, rebuild confidence, and create lasting friendships across Greater Manchester.

Through completely free sessions held at Age UK Jubilee Centre in Bury, St Matthew’s Church Hall in Little Lever and Bee Inclusive SEND Hub in Radcliffe. , Happy Signs welcomes older adults, children with disabilities, carers, people living with dementia, and anyone else who could use a little more joy in their lives.

Some people come alone; others are accompanied by carers or grandchildren. Songbooks are handed out, and before long, voices begin to rise together in a chorus of familiar melodies. Here, at one of Happy Signs CIC’s weekly sessions, music becomes place for connection, therapy, joy, and for many, a lifeline.

At the heart of Happy Signs is Emma Lashbrook, a passionate community leader who takes the sessions and who has witnessed firsthand just how transformative music can be.

Together with her partner,  Nikki Powell, who offers Reiki therapy mainly for carers and those supporting children with special needs, Emma has built something that stretches far beyond the original idea.

“When we first started, it was just me and a tiny group,” Emma explained. “Now, we run three full-time groups, plus private sessions, reaching around 90 people each week.”

Their mission is to offer free, inclusive, music-based wellbeing activities to anyone who needs them, particularly those who are so often overlooked by society.

Happy Signs CIC

At its heart, Happy Signs is about singing. But it is singing with a purpose far deeper than performance. Sessions are dementia-friendly and welcoming to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or background. Regular attendees range from elderly people facing isolation or bereavement to adults with learning disabilities and families with children who have special needs.

With support from Age UK, sessions are held weekly in Bolton and Bury. A third group takes place at Be Inclusive, a special needs hub in Radcliffe. And whether it’s a lively warm-up dance, breathing exercises designed to strengthen balance and help with conditions like COPD, or a mass sing-along to Queen’s We Are the Champions, each session is a celebration of life, resilience, and togetherness.

“We always start by moving our bodies,” Emma said. “We do a bit of dancing, some breathing work — especially because so many of our older members have respiratory issues. Then we move into singing. 

“Everyone picks songs they love, often songs that bring back memories. It’s beautiful — people will come up to me and say, ‘Emma, I listened to this when I was a little girl.’”

Song choices range from timeless classics like Somewhere Over the Rainbow to contemporary favourites like George Ezra’s Shotgun. 

Sign language is woven into some songs, creating a rich, expressive experience that crosses communication barriers. And every session ends the same way — with a disco. “Everyone forms a circle and dances together,” Emma smiles. “It’s just gorgeous.”

Music as medicine

Over the past few years, the world has woken up to the idea that music is powerful medicine. Research increasingly supports what Emma and her team have seen with their own eyes: music can boost mental health, improve physical wellbeing, and combat the crushing effects of loneliness and isolation.

“Everyone who comes to us leaves happier,” Emma said, without hesitation. “Sometimes people tell me they really had to drag themselves out of the house, especially if they’re going through a tough time. But by the end of the session, they’re smiling, laughing — they feel lighter.”

The science backs her up. Singing in a group releases endorphins — the brain’s feel-good chemicals — and oxytocin, the hormone that fosters social bonding.

It stimulates deep breathing, improves lung function, promotes good posture, and exercises the brain. And beyond the biology, there’s something fundamentally human about creating music together — something that reminds us we’re not alone.

“There’s just something about that shared experience,” Emma said. “Even if you think you can’t sing, when we all come together, it sounds brilliant. It’s not about perfection — it’s about connection.”

A community of hope

Since founding Happy Signs, Emma has watched countless lives change through the simple act of singing together.

One story sticks in her mind — a woman with dementia who started attending sessions with her exhausted husband, her full-time carer.

“When she first came, she was really withdrawn,” Emma recalled. “She’d often tell me the same story about being in musicals as a child. Once, she said to me, ‘When you get old, nobody wants to entertain you anymore.’”

Thanks to the group, things slowly began to shift. She formed new friendships, particularly with a group of adults with learning disabilities who embraced her warmly each week. She began to dance, sing snippets of songs, even step forward to perform a few lines on her own. The sessions gave her back something priceless: confidence, connection, joy.

Meanwhile, her husband gained a few hours of respite each week, knowing she was safe, happy, and supported.

“Seeing her transformation — that’s why we do this,” Emma said.

And she’s not alone. Across Bolton, Bury, and Radcliffe, similar stories unfold every week. People who were isolated have found friendship. People living with disabilities have found freedom of expression. Carers have found vital support.

And behind every joyful note is Happy Signs, quietly proving that community music can be nothing short of life-changing.

Growing the song

Right now, Emma is working at capacity, balancing her work with the demands of being a full-time carer herself to her three disabled teenagers

Expansion is something she dreams of, but it will have to happen thoughtfully.

“There’s definitely demand,” she said. “People ask me all the time — ‘Is there something like this in Oldham? In Salford?’ But it’s really important to me that this never becomes about making money. It has to stay accessible for everybody.”

In the future, she hopes to take on more like-minded people who can lead sessions in other areas — passionate individuals who understand that the true value of Happy Signs is in the connections it creates, not the profits it makes.

Until then, the Facebook page — Happy Signs CIC — remains the best place for people to get in touch. Donations are welcome. Volunteers who want to get involved are encouraged. Anyone with a heart for music and community is invited to join.

You can access their Facebook page here. 

“Whether it’s donating, volunteering, or even training to run sessions one day, we’d love to hear from people,” Emma says. “We don’t have a website yet — it’s all through Facebook for now.”

The music never stops!

In an age where loneliness has become one of the biggest public health crises, Happy Signs offers a vibrant, joyful antidote. It reminds us that healing doesn’t always happen in a hospital ward or a therapy room. Sometimes, it happens in a warm, noisy community hall, surrounded by laughter, music, and new friends.

As the final disco track plays and people sway together in a circle of togetherness, it’s clear that Happy Signs is about so much more than music. It’s about reclaiming joy. 

About reminding people that no matter what they’re facing: dementia, disability, grief, or isolation, they still belong. They still matter. They are still worthy of celebration.

And that, perhaps, is the most powerful song of all.