Jessie's Fund cartoon

Welcome!

Jessie’s Fund helps children with additional and complex needs or serious illness to communicate by using music. Music can provide a powerful and profound way in which children can express themselves and connect with the world around them. Jessie’s Fund is a registered charity working all over the UK.

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Child with chimes

What we do

We help children in children’s hospices to express themselves by using music as a language. We establish posts for music therapists, provide appropriate instruments, and offer training in simple musical techniques to staff. In schools for children and young people with special needs we give students the opportunity to participate actively in making music: they can create their own music, and then perform or record it. We place just as much emphasis on training staff in special schools to use music as a tool for communication and learning: in this way we leave a legacy after one of our projects.   We also offer support to other organisations aiming to help children with disabilities through music, as well as to individuals who struggle to access music therapy.

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Maxine Peake – Patron

Maxine PeakeMaxine Peake is one of the nation’s favourite actors. She enjoys a prolific career as a theatre, television and film actor, portraying a huge range of characters. As a writer she has focused on social issues and the stories of women who have achieved greatness in the face of adversity.   Maxine first came to national attention as Twinkle, in our late Patron Victoria Wood’s Dinnerladies. Like Victoria Wood, her roots are in the North: she grew up in Bolton and still lives in the North West. She says:   ‘I am very honoured to have been approached by Jessie’s Fund to become their Patron. No-one could ever replace the extraordinary Victoria Wood: to be able to continue her work with an organisation she held so dear to her heart is an absolute privilege.   Music has always played a very special part in my life, as a healer and an inspiration.  To be able to reach out to young people with complex needs and allow them to communicate through the power of music is a must. What a wonderful and essential charity.’   Save

Trevor Pinnock – Patron

Trevor PinnockWe are delighted that Trevor Pinnock has become a Patron of Jessie’s Fund. He is not only renowned worldwide as both conductor and harpsichord virtuoso, but is revered as one of the pioneers of historically informed performance practice. He founded The English Concert in 1972 and together they spearheaded the revival of Early Music performance on period instruments. His extensive recording history of over 40 years encompasses many highly acclaimed recordings including Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites, and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Joining Jessie’s Fund as a Patron he states, “I am thrilled to become a Patron of Jessie’s Fund. Music opens doors to feelings and communication in a very simple and direct way and the deep joy I felt when I first heard music as a child is what I have endeavoured to share with others ever since. The power of music is huge. It is for everybody and it is a safe place. The work of Jessie’s Fund with needy children is of the greatest importance in giving children a sense of achievement and self-worth, and I look forward playing my part.”

News and events

22 Nov

Music therapy in the community

Thank you to everyone who supported this year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge, which raised an amazing £12,906.25. This will fund around 50 sessions of…

31 Jan

Welcome to our new Trustees

We are very pleased to welcome four new Trustees to Jessie’s Fund, following our recruitment drive last year. They each join us with a…

09 Jan

Support Jessie’s Fund with your January clear out

Having a new year sort out? You can support Jessie’s Fund in a variety of ways: If you were lucky enough to receive new…

24 May

Making music with special children 2023

Our training course ‘making music with special children’ returned in November for two in-person days in both York and London. It was great to…

24 Oct

Making music at Highfield Littleport Academy

Our musicians Steff and Shaun had a great time at our recent creative music project at Highfield Littleport Academy, near Cambridge. It is an…

13 Sep

Announcing our new corporate partner!

Our small office team work very hard managing all things Jessie’s Fund, and our morning coffee helps to keep us going. So, we were…

More news and events here.