News
Kia Ora GB! Sporting Memories Aotearoa New Zealand team visit England
Earlier this summer we were delighted to welcome the team from Sporting Memories Aotearoa New Zealand to England as they visited some of our sessions as well as presented some of their work alongside our Co-Founder and CEO Chris Wilkins.
Richard Wright (far left of image) and Orquidea Tamayo Mortera (far right of image) made the long trip to the Northern Hemisphere and spent several weeks in England finding out more about the delivery of Sporting Memories in the UK.
Finding out more about our Clubs
Both Richard and Orquidea had the opportunity to speak with Club facilitators in England, with Richard speaking to and visiting Club leaders across the country in the likes of Suffolk, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Kent and London, whilst Orquidea had the chance to catch-up with the Facilitator of our Club with Royal British Legion at Galanos House in Southam, Warwickshire.
Reflecting on his visit to several Clubs, Richard expressed the impact that volunteers make on the members they support through their regular sessions.
“I took plenty of things away from my visit, and the conversations with people that I was fortunate to meet on my month-long road trip.
“I gained a whole new level of appreciation for the key role played by local volunteers. The time and investment that the facilitators put into their clubs needs to be applauded. They are champions, and the key to a successful and sustainable club.”
For Orquidea, her trip to Galanos House provided a great insight into how the Clubs works within the local community.
“I enjoyed learning about how Galanos House welcomes everybody to the sessions, and it is not only exclusive to a level of care, and also opening the sessions to the community, and trying to bring the community in the care centre. I also loved the Replay Memories Cards they use during sessions and perhaps we need to build our own in New Zealand to reflect our culture of sports.”
Meeting Chris and presenting alongside
As part of their trip, both Richard and Orquidea had the opportunity to finally meet our Co-Founder and CEO, Chris Wilkins, in person after many years of meetings about Sporting Memories online.
It was at the NAPA Conference in July where Orquidea met Chris where he was delivering a presentation on the impact of Sporting Memories in the UK. Orquidea commented: “I was part of the NAPA Conference, so I was there to learn more from Chris. I also attended the session with Chris during the NAPA Conference, so that was a lot of fun with great learnings and better understanding of where Sporting Memories is heading to in the UK and Scotland.”
For Richard, he joined Chris at the British Gerontology Society Conference which took place in Newcastle.
“The highlight of the trip was the time spent with Chris Wilkins in Newcastle. It was wonderful to finally meet Chris in person, following three years of online meetings and email conversations. “Together, we delivered a symposium at the Conference with our session (titled ‘Playing to the Final Whistle’) being well received by those who attended, and additional positive feedback from those who read the abstract in the official proceedings.”
Final reflections on their visit
Following their time in Britain earlier this summer, we asked Richard and Orquidea for their thoughts on Sporting Memories and how it can help to support older people in England as well as New Zealand.
Richard began by discussing the impact sports-based reminiscence can have on those who attend sessions.
“The reminiscence-based recreational therapy that occurs during a Sporting Memories Club session can generate positive outcomes and opportunities for those living with dementia and/or depression, and also provide some much-needed support for carers, including family members, impacted by the health and happiness of loved ones.”
It was left to Orquidea to leave the final reflections, where she focused on the positive impact Clubs can make on their local communities.
“I believe it is a great way to enhance the community wellbeing as a whole, to have more intergenerational connections facilitated and to help built resilience in society. It was a great experience to learn more about Sporting Memories from the people delivering it, accessing it and enjoying it.”
If you would like to find out more about Sporting Memories Aotearoa New Zealand, please visit their website here - https://www.sportingmemories.co.nz/
Comments: 0 (Add)
In this section
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.