Help at Hand: North Norfolk group enjoys singing for health

The Singing for Breathing group meets on Monday afternoons at St Joseph's Church Hall on Cromer Road in Sheringham.

It is run by an organisation called Playing for Cake, which was set up by Sheringham woman Tina Blaber.

People doing breathing exercises at a Singing for Lung Health group in Sheringham. (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Ms Blaber, 56, said: "We meet and have coffee and tea, then we have an hour of singing.

"They are all breathing exercises, all based around good breathing, from the belly, the diaphragm, exercising the support muscles.

"We get people working their abs," she added.

Ms Blaber worked with the pulmonary rehabilitation team at Kelling Hospital to develop the course.

This was in line with work going on within the local Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS) to help join NHS and community-based services, so people can help themselves stay well and relieve pressures on the NHS.

Tina Blaber leading a Singing for Breathing group in Sheringham. (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Ms Blaber became a musician after a career in local government, community development and research into environmental sciences at the UEA.

Her own music career began during time off work in 2007.

"I started playing music, self-taught, when she was off work for six months. I dusted down an old guitar in the loft and started teaching myself again."

She initially formed Playing for Cake as a band  - the name inspired by their reward for performing in cafes and teahouses - but when her bandmate was diagnosed with early onset dementia, and had to go to a care home, she set up the community group and gave it the same name.

In 2017, she trained with the British Lung Health Foundation, where she learned about singing for health.

"It has taken over my life really. It's been so rewarding. I meet the most amazing people at the Singing for Health group," she said. 

"We have a wonderful team of volunteers who help so much. We couldn't do it all without them."

People doing breathing exercises at a Singing for Lung Health group in Sheringham. (Image: Sonya Duncan)

As well as the Monday group, there are also community sessions, called Singing for Health, Wellbeing and Fun, which take place on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at Sacred Heart Hall in North Walsham and every Wednesday at Sheringham Community Centre.

More information about the sessions can be found at playingforcake.uk.

People at a Singing for Breathing group, run by Playing for Cake, in Sheringham. (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Singing for Breathing

Ms Blaber works with the Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) Team at Kelling Hospital, Active Norfolk and Asthma and Lung UK to bring Singing for Lung Health (SFLH) services to north Norfolk. 

The current Singing for Breathing course, which lasts 10 weeks, is full, but to register interest for the next course you can email Ms Blaber at info@playingforcake.uk. 

In the Singing for Breathing group, the songs used are specifically tailored around breathing exercises using established Singing for Lung Health techniques.  

Some gentle movement is also encouraged as part of warm-ups and throughout the session to help increase general health benefits and physical activity. 

Although sessions are designed for participants with lung conditions and breathing difficulties, the course is also ideal for people with anxiety, stress or depression. 

Kelling Hospital also run the North Norfolk Breathe Easy Support Group which meets at Sheringham Community Centre monthly.

This story is part of the North Norfolk News' 'Help at Hand' campaign, which shines a light on people and groups in our community that help others in some way.

If you have an idea for a story in this series, email the NNN's community editor Stuart Anderson at stuart.anderson@newsquest.co.uk or call him on 07584311481.