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Celebrating a decade at Dalkeith and Musselburgh 

Recently two of our Lothian clubs in Scotland marked a significant birthday – 10 years old!   

Both our Dalkeith and Musselburgh Clubs were amongst our older groups and have continued successfully to bring fun, laughter and companionship to members.  The volunteers at both Clubs must take a lot of credit for this; their consistency and dedication have allowed both sessions to flourish. 

The Clubs decided to get together for a special birthday lunch and we took the opportunity to ask members and volunteers for their own memories.  We did manage to grab two videos of candid chat. 

In their own words 

Malcolm and Rob spoke first.  Malcolm has been a member since day one.  Rob also remembered some of the fabulous guests the club has welcomed over the years. 

Join their chat here 

 

One of our other volunteers at Dalkeith, Mike, remembers one particular outing to 10 Pin Bowling.  Here’s his memory -

We also managed to catch a few words with Marie (81) one of our longer serving members.   

Meet Marie 

“I’ve been coming to Dalkeith (Sporting Memories) for around eight years. I initially brought my husband along but sadly he passed away quite soon after, but I enjoyed the feeling of friendship within the group so I kept coming back.  

“There were five of us who brought our husbands but sadly they’ve all passed away now.  I’m the only one of that group that still attends. I enjoy the routine, getting up and out on a Thursday morning - which is the same for the other three groups I attend. Monday to Thursday I am attending local groups as it keeps me sociable and gives me purpose. I enjoy the quizzes and the volunteers are fantastic.” 

Covid didn’t stop Marie either - she joined in every week with our Covid Zoom groups and was a most welcome and active participant. 

More on Musselburgh 

Our Musselburgh members joined in the fun and the observant amongst you may notice that Rob from the Dalkeith video is also featured below with another fellow long-term volunteer, Jim.   

Possibly our longest serving current member at Musselburgh is John Ross, picture below. Indeed, he has been coming for at least nine of the last 10 years. An ex-Javelin thrower, he became an athletics coach but also has a love of Rugby. A club highlight for him was meeting and chatting with Yvonne Murray when she came to the club and returned to Musselburgh which was where she started.? 

To the next 10 years! 

Overall, the members at both Dalkeith and Musselburgh said that Sporting Memories keeps them connected and gives them a reason to get out of the house. The volunteers were particularly highlight for being at the weekly sessions and supporting everyone who attends.  

Both clubs are pictured at the beginning of the article with their 10-year pennants.  We do look forward to more special club birthdays as our network continues to grow and strengthen.