MOTHERTIDE — ACE Project Grants support material

Hello, I’m Caitlin Mayall — a Leeds-based folk singer-songwriter, early years music specialist and founder of Music at Heart CIC. My work brings together folk music, motherhood, community singing and participatory arts practice, with a particular focus on maternal experience, early years connection and nature-based creativity.

MOTHERTIDE: folk music, motherhood and collective creation

MOTHERTIDE is a new folk concept album and community arts project, developed with mothers in Leeds through song circles, creative workshops, storytelling and shared vocal work.

At its centre is Mother Tide: a mythic feminine figure who moves with the moon and the sea, holding the transformation of birth, early motherhood, identity, grief, tenderness and strength.

The project will bring together my original song-writing with the voices and creative responses of mothers, creating a professional album, visual artwork, a family-friendly launch event and a livestreamed/digital release.

“Caitlin’s songs often have haunting, modal melodies and poetic lyrics which explore love, faith and the natural world“

Un-edited taster of the title track, Mothertide

Community roots and need

MOTHERTIDE grows directly from my work with Music at Heart CIC, an early years music organisation in Leeds reaching around 85 families each week and more than 250 families over the last 4 years. Around 30-40% of families currently access free or subsidised places through Music at Heart’s bursary model.

In 2024–25, Music at Heart supported 73 families through bursary-funded or free provision, benefiting at least 146 individuals directly. Families included those experiencing financial hardship, perinatal mental health challenges, SEND, disability and social isolation.

Recent consultation showed strong evidence of impact: 94% of families rated their child’s enjoyment highly, 90% saw clear musical progress, 89% felt Music at Heart was very accessible, and 92% felt it was very inclusive.

Parent reflections from Music at Heart:

“This has been a life-altering class… I was suffering with postnatal depression and felt supported to recover.”

“A beautiful sense of community and musicianship – these sessions supported my mental health in a crucial way.”

“It gave me a chance to bond with my baby and meet other mums going through the same challenges.”

Why this project matters personally

MOTHERTIDE emerged during a period of profound personal change following the birth of my second child in 2023.

During this time, I experienced severe perinatal mental illness, including postnatal psychosis, OCD and anxiety. While recovering, I found myself drawn toward song-writing, folk traditions, cyclical imagery, motherhood stories and communal singing.

Many of the songs that now form MOTHERTIDE were written during this period. The project does not retell illness literally, but instead transforms lived experiences of fear, fragmentation, tenderness, birth, identity and recovery into mythic and collective forms.

Through collaborative creation with other mothers, MOTHERTIDE explores not only struggle, but also resilience, collective creativity, ritual, memory and transformation.

What will happen

Through Arts Council Project Grants funding, MOTHERTIDE will include:

20 Mother Nature Song Circles for mothers with babies under two
6 full-day creative workshops combining song, story, craft and visual art
recording sessions at Valley Wood Studios with professional musicians
artwork by relief printmaker Nicole Revy
a family-friendly album launch at Left Bank Leeds
livestreaming and documentation by Manto Films
a digital release to reach mothers unable to attend in person

Collaborators

The project brings together musicians and artists working across folk, classical, jazz, visual art and maternal practice:

Bryony Pritchard — sculpture, mixed media and mother-centred creative facilitation
Nicole Revy — bespoke relief print artwork
Ellie Lewis — cello
Niamh Flynn — harp
ELLE — viola
Andreas W. Andersson — saxophone
Brendan Bache — drums
Barkley McKay / Valley Wood Studios — recording, mixing and mastering
Manto Films — launch documentation and livestream support

DYCP

In 2024–25, I was supported through Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice programme to develop my harp playing, folk song-writing and collaborative ensemble practice. This period of creative development directly shaped the early musical language of MOTHERTIDE, including experimentation with folk instrumentation, improvisation and shared vocal arrangements.

Preview recording: Heartstrings

Both recordings were made at Valley Wood Studio, Leeds on 14th November 2025. Caitlin Mayall (piano & voice), Niamh Flynn (harp) and Ellie Lewis (cello). With thanks to the Arts Council for funding this recording.

For Arts Council England assessors

This page brings together audio examples, visual references, community evidence and supporting material for Caitlin Mayall’s National Lottery Project Grants application for MOTHERTIDE. The application itself contains the full project plan, budget, timeline, partners and safeguarding information.