What we do

Keeping active is one of the best ways of managing your lung condition and research suggests that group singing has both physical and psychological benefits if you have a long-term lung condition. In April 2015, the British Lung Foundation (BLF) launched its SFLH project. Since the launch SFLH has grown; at the beginning there were fewer than 30 groups and today there are 98 SFLH groups around the UK.

The BLF worked closely with one of the country’s leading specialists in SFLH, Phoene Cave, to devise and pilot a training course, specifically for singing professionals to teach singing to those living with a lung condition in a way that will benefit their condition. We also developed a suite of materials to support the training, including a sustainability tool kit, to support the leaders to continue the groups beyond the funding period. 

The BLF worked with key academic and medical members of its advisory group to create a package of validated questionnaires to measure physical, psychological and general wellbeing outcomes. Evaluations  and feedback from the project have been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the impact singing has on the physical and emotional wellbeing of participants with lung conditions.