British Association for PERFORMING Arts Medicine

BAPAM is 40

We are thrilled to be celebrating BAPAM’s 40th anniversary in 2024. When the British Performing Arts Medicine Trust was founded in 1984 the vision was for doctors and health experts to work together with artists, researchers and educators to build a comprehensive clinical service for everyone working in the performing arts.

We have built on this vision over 40 years thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of our clinicians, team, partner organisations, patrons, supporters, and the vibrant creative community we love to be a part of. It is with enormous gratitude that we mark our anniversary with you all this year.

Claire Cordeaux, BAPAM CEO
Peter Leathem OBE, BAPAM Chair

It’s absolutely crucial for performers to be able to protect and maintain our health; a simple injury or an undiagnosed condition can put a hard stop on our careers, reshape our futures and threaten our livelihoods. That’s why a service like BAPAM is a real lifeline for performers; it allows us to benefit from free consultation with experienced and qualified practitioners, ensuring we get the help we need to safeguard our careers into the future. It’s a privilege to be a Patron and to champion and promote the vital work it delivers and the people who make it possible.

Dame Evelyn Glennie CH OBE

Grammy award-winning percussionist and BAPAM patron

We send BAPAM our best wishes on the celebration on their 40th Anniversary. Equity has supported BAPAM over many years to ensure that Equity members have access to its specialist services with any performance related health problems. More recently we have worked with BAPAM to ensure the continuation of access for our members to their important mental health services. We hope for many more years of partnership.

Adam Adnyana

Assistant General Secretary, Equity

Over the last 40 years, BAPAM has become synonymous with clinical excellence and its work has provided lifechanging and career extending, or saving, support to performers. Its comprehensive suite of wellbeing services provides specialised care for the unique challenges our performers face, whilst its collaboration with partners worldwide continues to drive advancements in the field of performing arts medicine. I’m proud of the work it undertakes, not just in music but the wider performing arts, and look forward to celebrating its invaluable impact as it turns 40 in 2024.

Peter Leathem OBE
CEO of PPL and Chair of BAPAM

The Musicians’ Union is delighted to be working more closely than ever with BAPAM as it celebrates its 40th anniversary. BAPAM is dedicated to advancing well-being among musicians and performing artists, and it offers essential services for our members when they most need support. We look forward to working with BAPAM for another 40 years.

Naomi Pohl

General Secretary, Musicians’ Union

As a charity with a mission to support the health and wellbeing of musicians, Help Musicians works in partnership with others to provide specialist support and knowledge to deliver our charitable aims. BAPAM’s unique clinical expertise within the performing arts means they are an essential part of the creative ecosystem. We are so pleased to have such a long-standing partnership, especially as they mark their 40th anniversary. Congratulations, BAPAM!

Sarah Woods
Chief Executive at Help Musicians and sister charity Music Minds Matter

The PRS Members’ Fund hosted the event which launched BAPAM, forty years ago. We are delighted to have travelled with BAPAM from that first day as committed supporters of the indispensable services that BAPAM provides to the music community. BAPAM’s health services are a bedrock of survival for professional musicians. We send our warmest congratulations on the success of the past four decades and look forward to continuing to support BAPAM’s work far into the future.

Sarah Rodgers

Chair, PRS Members’ Fund

Help us provide specialist health support for everyone in the performing arts

We are asking for your support to help us grow our unique service and build on our vision to support everyone in the performing arts.

In the last ten years, the number of people we have helped has grown approximately fourfold to almost 3000 in 2023. Last year we delivered 2,598 free consultations and assessments, conducted 7,235 psychotherapy sessions and responded to 3,169 clinical enquiries. We trained thousands more people in healthy practice to prevent problems. Our work as clinical partner with a range of industry organisations is driving positive change towards a healthy and sustainable sector that supports and protects those whose talent it is built on.

But with 75% of those working in the performing arts facing physical injury and poor mental health at some point in their career, we know that we can do more.

Now we need your help

We hope to go from strength to strength in our next 40 years as our free service grows to help more people, and we need your support to meet this need.