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Sporting Memories to expand activities across Leeds with new partnership project

Sporting Memories is delighted to announce a significant project across Leeds involving multiple community-based partners, that will increase our work across the city, Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.

The two-year project will see us work alongside several local significant community organisations in Leeds including Hamara, Active Leeds, Maecare and Burmantofts Community Friends to not only build on our ongoing Clubs and activities, but expand our efforts with new Sporting Memories Clubs launching in various locations in the city.

Video of some of our existing activities in Leeds produced by students from Leeds Trinity University

More on the project

The project will see a number of initiatives and activities in support of the current and newly formed Sporting Memories Clubs that will enhance our support to older people across Leeds.

The project will focus its support towards helping isolated older people with multiple health conditions such as dementia, Parkinsons, those recovering from strokes, living with depression, loneliness and isolation, as well as individuals who are sedentary and not physically active, all of which could be facing health issues and struggling to maintain good health self-management.

We will be running community activities, which will be led by volunteers who have been recruited and trained to facilitate Sporting Memories sessions, with the aim of providing long-term support and sustainability for the project,

This will include providing resources and tools to facilitate Sporting Memories activities within local health and social care settings such as care homes, day centres, reablement centres and hospices. The connections to these settings will be through our partnership with Leeds City Council (Care Delivery Service).

Another key element of the project will be the recruitment of new apprentices who will support volunteers within the Sporting Memories Clubs, providing additional community activities across the week including additional Boccia and physical activity sessions and engage with beneficiaries outside the weekly club. Crucially, they will also provide additional engagement within the health and social care settings, facilitating games and seated exercises for residents.

This project will also see a multi-generational approach alongside our partners, which will enable younger generations to support frailer older people through meaningful sporting reminiscence, social and physical activities designed to improve mental and physical well-being, to reduce loneliness and isolation and to connect them to wider health and social networks.