A Spalding group bringing people together through music is set to soundtrack a host of events this year, including one for when Spalding Flower Parade was due to take place.
The All Inclusive Music Project (AIMP) was set up by Chris Dark last year to ‘ play, talk and raise awareness of disability and mental health’.
Now it’s planning future festivals for the town and music lessons and has received backing from a number of local councillors.
AIMP was set up after 41- year-old Chris was left with life-changing injuries after falling from the roof of his Weston home.
For his own mental health he put a message on social media asking for people he could play music with.
It proved so popular he set up AIMP to meet every other week with long-term goals set as a basis for forming new friendships.
AIMP itself has over 200 members with a core group regularly meeting at Tonic Health every other Sunday.
They’re working to performing at a host of events including planning for a float at the now cancelled 2026 Spalding Flower Parade.
Instead they’re now looking to put on a festival, the details of which are to follow.
It’s also putting on a fortnightly open mic night at the Royal Mail Cart.
Chris knew Coun Andrew Woolf before his accident and he attended a recent AIMP session.
After hearing about the response to Chris’s first message on social media, and how far across the district the responses came from, Coun Woolf asked his fellow district councillors if they would support AIMP by using some of their designated ward budgets.
Collectively, £875 was offered.
“Chris was a very active person, during the lockdowns and spent many hours litter picking and a considerable amount of time pulling rubbish out of dykes around Weston,” Coun Woolf said. “It was terrible that Chris’s accident meant he could no longer climb in and out of dykes or do things that could easily be taken for granted.
“After hearing Chris’s story, and how he wanted to share his own experiences to see if people also found sanctuary in music, combined with an incredible response, I was more than happy to see what could be done to help and thank councillors Mark Le Sage, David Ashby, Gary Taylor, Allan Beal, Sam Chauhan, Anthony Casson and Nanette Chapman for supporting AIMP through their ward budgets.
At the same meeting, Chris said: “Looking across the room at AIMP makes me feel really proud.
“From the hardest part of my life came AIMP. A project to help anyone who needs it through music.
“Having several councillors put funds behind the project helps us push forward. Future plans include a children’s AIMP, a new neurodiverse festival, music lessons, family open mics, and continuing to help local grass root bands
“It’s an honour and privilege to know Councillor Woolf who has given so much to the project.”
