Singing for Health sessions return to Leiston Library

By James Powell | 14 November, 2025

The popular ‘Tonic: Singing for Health’ sessions which piloted at Leiston Library in January have now relaunched at the library.

‘Tonic: Singing for Health’ is part of Suffolk Community Libraries’ Creative Health strategy to offer culture and creativity opportunities which can also lead to improvements in wellbeing and social change.

The Singing for Health sessions are run in partnership with Cohere Arts, providing free singing workshops for anyone who may be living with health challenges. Led by a Singing for Health specialist, each workshop will include breathing exercises, gentle vocal warm-ups and a range of songs, old and new.

The first phase of the new sessions run every Wednesday morning from 10.30am to 12pm until 17 December with sessions then returning in January following the festive break. You don’t have to be an experienced singer and can choose which songs to join in with. All activities are optional and it’s fine to join in as much or as little as you want to. Guide dogs and companions are welcome to come along too.

More than 35 people from the Leiston area took part in the weekly seated singing sessions at the start of the year. Feedback from the sessions shows that participants reported a 9% improvement in self-perceived health and wellbeing, citing positive impacts in physical health, mood, feelings of connection and accomplishment.

Mrs M lost her husband and had been feeling low and isolated. A regular volunteer in the Leiston community previously, she had not been feeling able to engage with volunteering activities since the bereavement. Having sung in her school and church choirs as a young person, she was interested in trying out the Tonic sessions. She told us that attending Tonic has improved her mood dramatically:

“It has just made me feel happier, the physical act of singing and being part of that soaring noise. The laughing when we pull funny faces. Two weeks ago, [Francis] got us sticking our tongues out and putting them in different places, like the dentist asks us to do, and there was a lot of laughter. He’s brilliant.”

Tonic: Singing for Health is made possible with support from Suffolk’s advice, guidance and emotional support service (SAGES) and funding from Sizewell C Community Fund. The previous sessions were funded by Suffolk’s advice, guidance and emotional support service (SAGES) and the Community Partnership, East Suffolk Council.

You can read more about the Spring 2025 sessions in our impact report.

Chrissie Meikle, Suffolk Community Libraries Senior Creative Health Producer, said:

“We are delighted to can relaunch these sessions at Leiston Library. We had some wonderful feedback from pilot projects earlier this year, so it’s great to be back!’’

Cohere Arts, in partnership with Suffolk Community Libraries, has been awarded funding from Sizewell C to enable the sessions to continue until July 2026.

Anyone interested in registering for the sessions can fill out this online form.