Do you love talking about cricket?
5 September 2013
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club are looking for volunteers to help run a group to support people with dementia.
The club is joining forces with others around Bristol and South Gloucestershire in a unique project to help people with short term memory issues - by sharing their favourite sporting memories.
This innovative idea has been set up by Sporting Memories Network (SMN) and Volunteer Bristol (VB) with the help of GCCC and is due to start this autumn.
Two volunteers will lead the weekly sessions where small groups will meet in the brand new Bristol Pavilion and chat about their favourite sports memories.
The meeting will start by looking through old photos, memorabilia and at times have a visit from a former player to trigger memories of watching or even playing for GCCC. But the sessions won’t just focus on cricket. It’ll be the starting point for a conversation which could then lead onto discussions about anything else such as what the weather was like that day, what happened after the match or who was at No 1.
Research has shown these sessions have a positive impact on reducing feelings of social isolation and depression often experienced by patients with dementia which in turn helps to promote and maintain the well-being of participants.
But the project now needs your help.
Do you love talking about either cricket or sport and would like to help run these reminiscence groups? Volunteers will be provided with full training and you’ll be working alongside at least one other person during the sessions – so you won’t be on your own.
If you are interested and would like to find out more please contact Elena D’Orso on 0117 989 7734 or email sportingmemories@volunteerbristol.org.uk
If you or someone you know could benefit from attending the groups find out more on the SMN website www.sportingmemoriesnetwork.com
