What Sound Minds does

Sound Minds is a registered UK charity (charity number 1079521) and Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, founded in 1990 and headquartered at 20–22 York Road, Battersea, London. It delivers creative-arts programmes — music (1:1 tuition, band rehearsals, DJ sessions, community choir, jam sessions, Breathe Music for 18–25 year olds), visual art (Art Studio and The Bloom Gallery), film production, and drama — alongside peer support services (Canerows ward visiting at Springfield Hospital, Mama Low's Kitchen drop-in, pre/post-discharge support, and the Bridging Minds forum) for people with lived experience of mental health problems. The organisation is explicitly user-led, with peer workers, founders, and managers (including Canerows Project Manager Mia Morris OBE and CEO Chas de Swiet) drawn from the community it serves, and has a particular focus on global majority/BAME individuals who are over-represented in the mental health system.

The operating model is delivered through a community hub at Battersea plus partner venues (Dimson Lodge, Katherine Low Settlement, The Bedford, Kew Gardens, Springfield Hospital), with over 100 creative sessions per month and approximately 1,000 inpatient conversations per year. Technology is limited to standard creative-arts tooling — Logic and Reason for music production, Traktor DJ software, Technics 1210 decks, Stanton CD decks, a 1000W PA system — supported by commodity marketing and payments integrations (MailChimp, Google Analytics, PayPal, Give as you Live, Bandcamp). There is no proprietary technology, mobile application, API, or AI/ML capability.

Sound Minds is funded primarily through its Arts Council England NPO grant, supplemented by project-specific grants (Sophie Clarke Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund), the South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust partnership, and donations. Most services are free for Wandsworth residents; non-residents or personal-budget users pay modest fees (1:1 music £6–£15 per half hour, band/DJ sessions £4–£13.50, Mama Low's Kitchen lunch £2.50). With 6 employees and a charity/legal structure rather than a commercial entity, Sound Minds is not an investable company in the conventional PE/VC sense; the analysis below treats it as a small, grant-funded social enterprise whose 'moats' are community, regulatory, and talent-based rather than technology or scale-based.

Name

Sound Minds

Legal name

Sound Minds

Website

https://soundminds.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sound Minds is a London-based UK charity and Arts Council England NPO that delivers music, art, film, drama, and peer support programmes for people with lived experience of mental health problems, primarily serving Wandsworth residents and the South West London NHS footprint.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Session Musicians & Vocalists (MPAIAHAC)

Keywords

• Mental health services
• Creative arts therapy
• Peer support programs
• Community mental health
• Music art workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization accepts donations via PayPal and Give as you Live, with opportunities for Gift Aid. They actively fundraise through various community initiatives.
2. Service Fees: Some services charge nominal fees for non-Wandsworth residents or those using personal budgets. 1:1 music sessions are £6 self-funding or £15 personal budget. Band sessions and DJ sessions are £4 self-funding or £13.50 personal budget. Mama Low's Kitchen charges £2.50 for lunch.
3. Arts Council England NPO Funding: Sound Minds is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) receiving sustained public funding to support their arts and mental health programs.
4. Project-specific Grants: Time-limited project funding from organizations like Sophie Clarke Foundation (visual arts) and Heritage Lottery Fund (Hear Me Now documentary project).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sound Minds is a user-led mental health charity that delivers creative arts (music, visual art, drama, film) combined with peer support services for people with lived experience of mental health problems. Its core services include one-to-one music tuition, band and DJ sessions, community choir, jam sessions, Breathe Music for ages 18-25, visual art studio, drama group, an award-winning film production team, the Canerows black-led peer support programme (including NHS ward visiting and pre/post discharge support), Mama Low's Kitchen community drop-in, and the Bridging Minds project for BAME communities.

Product overview

Sound Minds is a mental health charity offering a diverse portfolio of creative services organised around arts for mental health and peer support. The core offering spans four main areas: Music Services (including 121 tuition, band sessions, DJ sessions, community choir, jam sessions, and Breathe Music for 18-25 year olds); Visual Arts (Art Studio with drawing, painting, printmaking, and The Bloom Gallery for exhibitions); Film Production (award-winning team creating documentaries and promotional content); and Peer Support (Canerows ward visiting programme, Mama Low's Kitchen drop-in, pre/post discharge support, and Bridging Minds forum). All services are delivered through a community hub model at their Battersea studios, with activities free or low-cost to participants, primarily serving Wandsworth residents with lived experience of mental health problems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Canerows: A black-led peer support programme providing ward visiting, post discharge support, and Mama Low's Kitchen - a user led drop-in.
• Mama Low's Kitchen
• The Bloom Gallery
• Breathe Music

Products and services

• Music Services Comprehensive music provision including 1:1 tuition (guitar, keyboard, drums, vocals, music production), music production using Logic and Reason software, band rehearsals, recording facilities, DJ sessions, and community choir for members with lived experience of mental health problems.
• The Jam Session Weekly jam session on Tuesdays 1:30-3:30pm for members to play their own songs, cover versions, and structured improvisations. Free for Wandsworth residents.
• Sound Minds Community Choir Weekly community choir meeting Mondays 4-6pm at Dimson Lodge, open to everyone with no audition required, covering a popular songs repertoire.
• DJ Session Weekly DJ sessions on Friday afternoons using Technics 1210 vinyl decks, Stanton CD decks, 1000W PA system, and Traktor DJ software. Equipment available for practice and performances at gigs.
• Breathe Music Free music sessions for young people aged 18-25 with lived experience of mental health problems, held Wednesdays 2-5pm, providing music production, professional instrument tuition, singing, rapping, song writing, and band playing.
• Art Studio Visual arts studio offering drawing, painting, printmaking, collage and mixed media processes. Tuesday sessions open to all; Friday sessions for Wandsworth residents experiencing mental distress via GP social prescribing. Free for Wandsworth residents.
• Drama Group Weekly drama sessions on Mondays 2-3:30pm providing safe space for play, creation, and experimentation with focus on improvisation, storytelling, and script work. No experience necessary, free for all.
• Film Services Award-winning film production team creating promotional and documentary films. Services include planning, filming, and editing for TV, YouTube, or web use. Previous clients include national Mind and South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
• The Bloom Gallery Gallery space within Sound Minds studios used for regular member exhibitions, also available for private hires. Has hosted exhibitions including Body Beautiful, Two Faced, and Dust solo shows.
• Gigs and Performances Regular gigs both in studios and community venues including The Bedford, Magic Garden, Springfield Hospital, and Tolworth Hospital. Opportunities for members to showcase talents.
• Canerows Black-led peer support programme providing ward visiting at Springfield Hospital, post-discharge support, and community consultation. Led by Mia Morris OBE, prioritising people from global majority backgrounds.
• Ward Visiting Peer support visitors engaging with inpatients at Springfield Hospital, offering non-professional help and practical advice. Approximately 1,000 conversations with inpatients annually.
• Pre and Post Discharge Peer Support Phone and in-person support for people leaving hospital in Wandsworth, providing help and friendship from people with similar experiences. Free for Wandsworth residents discharged from Springfield University Hospital.
• Mama Low's Kitchen User-led weekly drop-in at Katherine Low Settlement for Wandsworth residents with mental health difficulties. Fridays 10am-2:30pm with healthy lunch (£2.50), internet access, peer support, pool, and activities. Free to attend.
• Bridging Minds Art-based project for global majority adults (18+) with lived experience of mental health challenges, plus families and carers. Creative, artist-led sessions focused on wellbeing, confidence, and connection. Runs Mondays 1-5pm from June-October 2026.
• Donations/Fundraising Donation options via PayPal and Give as you Live platform, allowing supporters to contribute financially to support activities for members, with Gift Aid eligibility for UK taxpayers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of members rated overall experience as excellent or good
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regular, minor and flagship.

• South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep partnership involving ward visiting program at Springfield Hospital, post-discharge peer support, and consultation forums. The trust refers patients and values Sound Minds as an exceptional community partner for providing culturally capable, lived-experience-informed peer support. Sound Minds won Community Partnership Award at their 2025 Quality Awards.
• Wandsworth Carers' CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Bridging Minds project - a series of forums creating gateway of communication between BAME people with lived experience of mental ill health and their families and carers. Inspired by research showing correlations between poor mental health and difficult family/carer relations in BAME communities.
• EMHIP (Ethnicity and Mental Health Improvement Project)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Bridging Minds project focused on crisis prevention and recovery for BAME individuals with lived experience of mental ill health and their families/carers.
• Wandsworth Arts Fringe FestivalregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual participation in Wandsworth Arts Fringe with exhibitions, performances, and member showcases. Includes Fabric of Freedom exhibition and Body Beautiful exhibition as part of the festival program.
• Therapeutic ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Dark Thoughts Series: Part 1 - Ottobah Cugoano, a creative production project.
• Liberty FestivalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSound Minds performed at Liberty Festival 2025 Opening Party - London's flagship disability arts festival celebrating diverse voices and breaking down barriers through music, performance, and creativity.
• Katherine Low SettlementcoreOthersVenue provider for Mama Low's Kitchen peer support drop-in every Friday. Katherine Low Settlement provides space for this user-led service for Wandsworth residents with mental health difficulties.
• The Bedford PubregularOthersCommunity venue hosting Sound Minds live events, gigs, spoken word and poetry nights. Sound Minds return regularly for performances showcasing member talent.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mind: National mental health charity offering information, support, and local services across England and Wales. Broader incumbent that occasionally commissions Sound Minds-type arts partners; provides an instructive comparison on scale, but operates a fundamentally different service model focused on advice, campaigning, and clinical support.
• Mental Health Foundation: UK's leading mental health charity focused on research, policy, and public education. Indirect peer—comparable only in mental health sector positioning, not service delivery model. Useful as a reference for what an established national player looks like versus a community-rooted charity like Sound Minds.

Direct peers

• Paintings in Hospitals: Charity bringing visual art into healthcare settings for patient benefit. Comparable on arts-in-healthcare delivery model, with similar institutional hospital partnerships as Sound Minds' Canerows programme, though narrower focus on visual art loan rather than member-led creative production.
• Music in Hospitals & Care: Charity delivering live music programmes in hospitals and care settings across the UK. Comparable on music-in-healthcare delivery model; partnership with hospital inpatients aligns with Sound Minds' Canerows ward visiting programme.
• Outside In: National charity providing platforms for artists facing barriers including mental health, disability, and social exclusion. Comparable on exhibition pathway and member artist development (e.g., Sound Minds' Bloom Gallery), though operates at a national rather than community-hub scale.
• Cooltan Arts: South London-based arts and mental health charity running studios, exhibitions, and creative programs for people with mental health experience. Closely mirrors Sound Minds' user-led studio model, exhibition programme, and community gallery approach in a neighboring borough.
• Arts & Minds: UK charity facilitating art workshops for people with mental health problems, with a focus on art as therapy. Directly comparable creative-arts-and-mental-health mission, though with a stronger emphasis on visual arts rather than Sound Minds' multi-modality hub.
• Core Arts: London-based arts and mental health charity offering creative workshops, music, visual arts, and performing arts for people with mental health difficulties. Directly comparable to Sound Minds in mission, target population, and creative-arts therapy model, including a long-running community hub in Hackney.
• Nordoff Robbins: UK's largest music therapy charity delivering one-to-one and group music therapy sessions. Highly comparable on the music therapy dimension of Sound Minds' work, though Nordoff Robbins focuses more narrowly on clinical music therapy rather than multi-discipline creative arts.

Regional players

• Drake Music: UK charity pioneering music, disability, and assistive technology. Comparable on music-and-disability intersection, but focuses on inclusive music technology and access rather than mental health peer support. Notably, Sound Minds CEO Chas de Swiet previously chaired Drake Music.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soundmindsuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/soundmindsFILMS
• Facebookfacebook.com/soundmindslondon
• Instagraminstagram.com/soundmindslondon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sound-mindsuk

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sound Minds