Sally Spencer was named the winner of the inaugural Arts Hero Award at the Sky Arts Awards last night at The Roundhouse.

The Sky Arts Hero Award celebrates the people working behind the scenes to support and enrich the arts, and Sally’s innovative use of music to support children in hospital earned her this special recognition.

Sally is a singer with Ex Cathedra and an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, working with children with leukaemia. She was the spark behind Ex Cathedra’s Singing Medicine project, which she continues to co-lead 20 years later.

Singing Medicine brings singing for wellbeing to babies, children and young people in hospital, and also supports adults affected by stroke and dementia. This includes patients who are extremely vulnerable and in protective isolation. During the pandemic, Sally and the Singing Medicine team created thousands of personalised music videos for children when in-person visits were not possible.

Sally brings together her extensive nursing experience and passion for music to her leadership and compassionate support of the Singing Medicine team. The singers work in what can be distressing situations, including leading singing sessions at end-of-life care. Sally was integral in adapting Singing Medicine to support adults affected by stroke and dementia, making a significant impact in these areas as well.

Sally was the driving force behind a fundamental principle of Singing Medicine, that the activities should include the opportunity for choice - because patients are in situations where many choices have been taken away from them. A child might therefore choose what the singing lonely dinosaur gets to have for tea, or a patient affected by stroke might choose the sounds they are working on to incorporate into the music-making.