Scottish Opera has formed a new partnership with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS), Scotland's largest health charity which works to help people with chest, heart and stroke conditions. Building on Scottish Opera’s existing initiative Breath Cycle, the partnership will aim to improve the lives of those living with aphasia, a communication difficulty which is a result of stroke-induced brain damage. Affecting the part of the brain that controls language, it can leave patients with impaired speech and in some cases leaves them unable to speak at all.

With research suggesting that poor mental health and loneliness severely impacts people living with aphasia, the new partnership will offer online singing, song-writing and breath-control sessions with the aim to improve the mental wellbeing and confidence of patients.

Jane-Claire Judson, CEO of CHSS said: ‘Working with Scottish Opera to unlock the therapeutic benefits of singing and song-writing to people living with aphasia is a fantastic opportunity to tackle real issues facing people across the country’, with Jane Davidson MBE, Director of Outreach & Education at Scottish Opera adding: ‘Following on from the increased awareness of our Breath Cycle II programme in 2020, which was designed for people living with Long COVID and other respiratory conditions, Scottish Opera is excited to partner with CHSS to support people with aphasia.’