🤝 More financial security

Benefits and financial wellbeing advice open to the public

Benefits and financial systems can be difficult to understand, particularly when someone is already facing illness, disability, unemployment, caring responsibilities or a sudden change in circumstances.

Our free, confidential advice service is primarily for the public. People do not need any previous connection with The People’s Orchestra to ask for help.

We help people understand their entitlements, complete applications, challenge incorrect decisions and secure financial support that might otherwise go unclaimed. The service supports around 50 people each year and is estimated to unlock approximately £368,000 in annual household income for people experiencing financial difficulty.

For the people receiving that support, the result can mean overdue payments being restored, essential bills becoming manageable or a family finally receiving the income to which it is entitled.

🎵 Local people noticing local need

Community Grants nominated by our singers and musicians

Our Community Grants help people facing difficult circumstances in the areas surrounding our orchestras, choirs and bands.

The person receiving a grant does not need to be a TPO singer or musician. Instead, our members use their local knowledge to nominate a friend, neighbour, carer, volunteer or someone else in their community who could benefit from practical support.

Funded through the TPO Community Lottery and additional member fundraising, grants of approximately £50–£500 can help with:

• Emergency costs and household essentials
• Mobility equipment
• Travel to medical or support appointments
• Access to musical or community activities
• Other immediate needs that might otherwise go unmet

Members notice when someone may need help and make a nomination quietly and compassionately. An independent panel then considers the person’s circumstances, the difference the grant could make and fairness across the communities we serve.

It is a simple but powerful model: singers and musicians help identify local need, while an independent process directs practical support to where it can make a meaningful difference.

🌱 A place to belong

Social impact experienced through our orchestras choirs and bands

Our music groups create welcoming places where singers and musicians can make music, form friendships and feel part of something.

For someone experiencing loneliness, bereavement, illness, anxiety, redundancy or a loss of confidence, a regular rehearsal can provide structure, connection and a reason to leave the house. Members support one another through difficult periods and celebrate achievements together on stage and off.

In our 2026 choir survey:

• 82% of respondents said they felt welcome immediately.
• More than 95% said they felt that they belonged.
• 63.8% said they felt more connected to other people.
• 63.2% reported increased confidence.
• 62.5% said taking part had improved their mood.

People may first come through the door because they enjoy singing or playing. What they often find is friendship, encouragement and a community in which they matter.

🌍 Different routes. One shared purpose

Our social impact does not depend on someone becoming a TPO singer or musician.

A member of the public might receive help to move into employment. A family might secure benefits it did not know it could claim. Someone facing a crisis might be nominated for a Community Grant by a local singer or musician. Another person might join one of our groups and find the confidence, friendship and belonging they had been missing.

These are different routes into our work, but they share one purpose: helping people feel more secure, more connected and better able to move forward.