Charity leader calls for volunteers (From Haringey Independent)

Leader of charity based in Tottenham calls for volunteers to help raise money

11:18am Wednesday 9th January 2013 in News By Bruce Thain

A woman with multiple sclerosis who leads her own music charity is calling for volunteers to help run the organisation.

Caroline Smart runs Music and Health in the Community, which teaches traditional African drumming and dancing in schools and to disabled people.

For the past eight years the project has been run by Mrs Smart on a voluntary basis and last year was officially registered as a charity.

Now she is looking for people to help run the organisation and is calling for volunteers to work as members of the management committee to help raise money.

She said: “We’ve been a charity for the last year but in the current climate it’s getting harder to raise money.

“I really need someone to come in and help with the running of the charity to mainly organise the fundraising side.

“What I’m really worried is that some of our projects might have to close because we don’t have the funding to keep them going.”

Ms Smart was diagnosed with MS when she was 15 years old but already had a love of music and could play piano and cello to a high standard.

She added: “We first started as a community action group after I became interested in the health benefits of music to people and we have had a lot of success with our projects.”

The charity currently runs three projects in the borough including and African drumming lessons at Stamford Hill Primary School, in Berkeley Road, Tottenham, and singing sessions for disabled people and wheelchair users at Winkfield Resource Centre in Wood Green.

Those interested in helping the group can call the charity on 0208 802 7705.