Find out more about our brilliant team of Staff, Trustees and Patrons.

Staff

Generic image

Chris Wilkins MBE
Co-Founder and CEO – Sporting Memories

What do you do at Sporting Memories? Making sure that Sporting Memories continues to benefit our older community wherever they are.

Favourite Memory: At home with the kids one memorable Saturday morning cheering Johnny Wilkinson’s drop-kick secure the 2002 Rugby World Cup for England. The kids were young then and being born and bred in Scotland, they probably won’t be cheering as much if the same happens in 2023!

chris.wilkins@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Kelly Hart
Director of Impact and Fundraising

What do you do at Sporting Memories? My core role is to get money into the organisation and help to show the impact, so we can continue to deliver all the fantastic work we do.

Favourite sporting memory: Nottingham Forest in the 80/90's under Brian Clough and visiting the old Wembley 6 times in five years in cup competitions.

kelly.hart@sportingmemories.uk

Brian Sloan
Development Director

What do you do at Sporting Memories? My role is to develop a partnership approach to support the continued growth in Scotland allowing older people to stay connected with their love for sport.

Favourite sporting memory: Scotland winning the 1990 Grand Slam against England at Murrayfield. I was there and when the team slowly walked out onto the pitch at the start I have never heard noise like it at any sporting event.

brian.sloan@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Donna Mackey
Partnerships Manager

What do you at Sporting Memories? Build relationships with local and national organisations to expand the Sporting Memories club network across Scotland.

Favourite Sporting Memory: Watching Hearts win their first Scottish Cup in 42 years in 1998, beating Rangers 2-1. What a day!

donna.mackey@sportingmemories.uk

Tom Taylor

Tom Taylor
Communications Manager

What do you do at Sporting Memories? I help to tell the story of our wonderful organisation through our website, social media channels and getting our name and clubs in the press!

Favourite sporting memory: Watching Lee Steele score a 95th minute winner in the final game of the season to get Leyton Orient promoted in 2006!

tom.taylor@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

David Gallagher
Training Officer

What do you do at Sporting Memories? I am involved in delivering our training sessions for our volunteers and partners who run our clubs across the country. I also oversee some of our virtual clubs.

Favourite sporting memory – Singing Sunshine on Leith at Hampden Park after seeing David Gray score a 92nd minute winner against Rangers to win Hibs' first Scottish Cup in 114 years.

david.gallagher@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Rob Baker
Project Coordinator (Wales)

What do you do at Sporting Memories? co-ordinate and oversee clubs across Wales

Favourite sporting memory – Crystal Palace v Liverpool - FA Cup semi final 1990 at Villa Park.

rob.baker@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Graham Cross
Administration Officer

What do you do at Sporting Memories? I coordinate & oversee clubs in East Lothian as well as supporting the wider team across a range of administrative areas such as HR.

Favourite sporting memory: Being 7, standing in the Leazes End in the rain at St James Park as Malcolm 'Supermac' Macdonald scored a hat trick on his debut for Newcastle United against Liverpool. That was it.

graham.cross@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Janet Torley
Communications Officer

What do you do at Sporting Memories? Keep the world informed of all the great work Sporting Memories does

Favourite sporting memory – Listening to the radio in the North Sea to Andy Murray winning Wimbledon – magic!

janet.torley@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Liz Price
Volunteer Coordinator (Scotland)

What do you do at Sporting Memories? I'm responsible for recriting volunteers and supporting them through their Volunteer Journey.

Favourite sporting memory – Stunning 1980 Wimbledon match - Borg vs McEnroe five setter (Borg won). Atmosphere on Centre Court electric!

liz.price@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Jim Purvis
Community Club Co-ordinator

What do you do at Sporting Memories? Support and help to recruit volunteers and the running of Sporting Memories Clubs in the West of Scotland while also seeking to set up and organise new clubs at every opportunity.

Favourite sporting memory: Andy Irvine's last minute touchline penalty goal which earned Scotland a dramatic 16-14 Calcutta Cup win at Murrayfield in February 1974 (I was only a boy!).

jim.purvis@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Gary Waddell
Community Club Co-ordinator

What do you do at Sporting Memories? Set up and support the running of Sporting Memories Clubs

Favourite sporting memory: Raith Rovers winning the Scottish League Cup in 1994 beating Glasgow Celtic on penalties having drawn 2-2 after extra time.

gary.waddell@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Yvonne Friel
Community Club Co-ordinator

What do you do at Sporting Memories? I oversee the weekly running of our Sporting Memories Clubs/Groups in the west of Scotland, while supporting our wonderful volunteers and sessional staff, and not to forget offering support to our fantastic members and their carers. I am always on the lookout for opportunities to get new Sporting Memories clubs/groups off the ground while recruiting new volunteers.

Favourite sporting memory: My 1st and last Celtic v Rangers 1992 Scottish cup semi final at Hampden Park - final score: Celtic 0 Rangers 1

yvonne.friel@sportingmemories.uk

Becky Wilkins

Becky Wilkins
Editor of the Sporting Pink

What do you do at Sporting Memories? Help create all the wonderful editorial Sporting Pinks content for our subscribers to enjoy!

Favourite sporting memory: Playing netball in the rain at lunchtime as a bit of welcome relief from a stressful job!

editor@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Chris Jameson
Sporting Pink Researcher

Generic image

Kayleigh Catford
Development Manager

What do you do at Sporting Memories? Develop our social licence model so we can increase and enhance the number of SM clubs we have in England and Wales

Favourite sporting memory: Watching the finish of the first Stage of the Tour de France in Harrogate, the gasp followed by silence when Mark Cavendish crashed with just a few hundred yards to go was epic!

kayleigh.catford@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

Trevor Rollinson
Session Worker (England)

What do you do at Sporting Memories? I run three local groups in Salford as well as organise and playing with the Salford Sporting Memories walking football teams. I also organise one virtual club each month.

Favourite sporting memory: It has to be Ollie Solskjaer’s goal in the 1999 Champions’ League final

Generic image

Viv Loder
Session Worker (England)

What do you do at Sporting Memories? I run 3 local groups in the Salford ( North West Manchester area ) making sure our visitors are kept stimulated and interested during the 2 hour sessions.

Favourite sporting memory: Going to watch Swinton Rugby league at their home ground on a Sunday afternoon with my dad. I must have been around 8 or 9 at the time but remember feeling ' grown up' being allowed on the terrace and in the bar!

viv.loder@sportingmemories.uk

Generic image

John Whitelaw
Session Worker (Scotland)

What do you do at Sporting Memories? I run two groups in East Kilbride, plan the itineries and lead the meetings

Favourite sporting memory: Jim Holton's winning header for Scotland v Czechoslovakia in 1973. I was there, It inspired me to go abroad to see Scotland play all three games at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany .

Generic image

Rob Risien
Session Worker and Volunteer (Scotland)

What do you do at Sporting Memories? Spread the word about our groups and help our members make new friends through sport.

Favourite sporting memory: Hampden Park May 2008, Scottish Cup Final Queen of the South v Rangers. Did I ever think I'd witness such a day !!

Generic image

Tom Mooney
Session Worker (Scotland)

Non-Executive Directors

Generic image

Darshan Sanghrajka

Non-Executive Director, England

Generic image

Alastair Bruce

Non-Executive Director, Scotland

Trustees – England

Generic image

Rory McCormick
Trustee and Chair of the Board

Generic image

Gareth Heard
Trustee

Generic image

Richard Armstrong
Trustee

Generic image

Waseem Khan
Trustee

Trustees – Scotland

Generic image

Rory McCormick
Trustee and Chair of the Board

Generic image

Gary Scott
Trustee

Favourite sporting memory: Cheering Team Scotland into the stadium at the Opening Ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Generic image

Keith Anderson
Trustee

Favourite sporting memory: Scotland’s Grand Slam in 1984, after a friend and I had said two months earlier it will never happen in our lifetime, and we did it again in 1990!

Generic image

Simon Scott
Trustee

Favourite sporting memory: Scotland winning the 1990 Grand Slam against England at Murrayfield.

Generic image

Richard Armstrong
Trustee

Generic image

Maurice Donohue
Trustee

Favourite sporting memory: back to 1979, when I saw Sir Jackie Stewart drive his Tyrrell Ford F1 car around the Ingliston Race Circuit in Edinburgh. Apart from being a sporting icon , Sir Jackie Stewart, along with his Foundation - Race Against Dementia, hopes to bring down the chequered flag on fight surrounding Dementia.

Patrons

Generic image

Adrian Bevington

Adrian is one of football's most experience senior executive having held various leadership positions in the industry

Generic image

Dr Luther Blissett OBE DL

Luther is a former professional footballer and manager who played for the England national team in the 1980s

Generic image

Mark Blundell

Mark is a British racing driver with a long career in F1 and currently driving in The Touring Car Championships

Generic image

Professor Alistair Burns CBE

Alistair is Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at The University of Manchester

Generic image

Terry Butcher

Terry is an English football manager and former player. who captained the England national team winning 77 caps in a ten-year international career that featured three Fifa World Cups

Generic image

Stephen Halkett

Stephen is a Physics teacher as well as stand-up comic and likes to run.

Generic image

Paul Hawksbee

Paul is a British sports radio presenter and comedy writer. He has presented the Hawksbee and Jacobs show alongside ndy Jacobs on TalkSPORT since the station's inception in 2000.

Generic image

Alastair Hignell CBE

Alastair is an English former rugby union international, first–class cricketer, and broadcaster.

Generic image

Guy Mowbray

Guy is an English football commentator, who primarily appears on the BBC and BT Sport

Generic image

Yvonne Murray MBE

Yvonne is an Olympic and World Gold winning long and middle distance runner

Generic image

Paul O'Neill

Paul is a Sports presenter with ITV4 now after a successful British Touring Cars career

Generic image

Bernie Slaven

Bernie is a former professional football striker scoring 223 goals over an 18 year career

Generic image

Lachie Stewart

Lachie is a former medal winning distance runner and an inductee in the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.

Generic image

Professor Claire Surr

Claire is a Professor of Dementia Studies and Director of the Centre for Dementia Research

Ambassadors 

Generic image

Rob Foreman

Rob is an Ambassador having previously worked for Sporting Memories

Malcolm Hall 

Malcolm is an Ambassador for Sporting Memories having previously been a Board Members at Sporting Memories Network CIC

Volunteers

We’re always on the lookout for volunteers to help run our clubs all across England, Scotland and Wales – find out more here.

Find a club

Want to know where your nearest Sporting Memories club is? View our Club Finder page here.

Our impact

Reducing Isolation

Bringing older people together to reduce isolation and loneliness

Mental Wellbeing

Supporting older people to improve their mental wellbeing

Physical Wellbeing

Getting older people active to live healthier lifestyles

Sign up to our newsletter

Loading