News

Sporting Memories at work with Dunbar Grammar School

We are thrilled to report another successful intergenerational work with Sporting Memories. A new project at Dunbar Grammar School has brought young and older sports fans together for company and friendly competition.

Dunbar Grammar’s Active Schools Coordinator Scott Marnoch approached Dunbar Sporting Memories group with an idea for a partnership which saw the school’s Future Leaders, a group of senior pupils, arrange a special event for the club members.

Sporting Memories groups support a wide range of people aged 50-plus, including those living with dementia and other long term diagnoses, offering an opportunity to reminisce, replay and reconnect through the power of sport and physical activity.

Future Leaders look after their guests

Dunbar’s group members visited the school for a tour of the building led by pupils. Many had previously been Grammar pupils, so the tour offered an opportunity to share stories and reflect on all the changes. Afterwards visitors and young people created mixed teams to take part in a basketball shoot out, golf and indoor curling. The day was rounded off with teas, coffees and a quiz.

Scott said: “I was keen to work with Dunbar Sporting Memories group to create a partnership that would promote and encourage interaction and understanding between the generations in our community. I had visited the group at Hallhill and enjoyed time listening to their stories and participating in their weekly quiz. They were enthusiastic about coming up to Dunbar Grammar so I tasked our Future Leaders with organising an event for our guests.

“The day went really well with our Future Leaders leading on the event. Everyone joined in and participated, and it was good to see some good old-fashioned competition between the teams. During the event what was great to see was the interaction between the groups and how the young people asked the Sporting Memories group questions about their pasts.

“This partnership is something we look to continue. We hope that when our young people are out and about in the local community and bump into some of our visitors, they will stop and have a chat with them.”

Great fun for all

Ian ‘Iby’ Robertson said: “The feedback from the visit was tremendous. All of our members have said how much they enjoyed it. The highlight was seeing the bairns and how good they were – they were so encouraging when it came to explaining the sports and patient; their whole demeanour was welcoming. We’re hoping they’ll now come to one of our meetings so we can do a quiz for them about Dunbar and carry on this partnership.”

Dunbar Sporting Memories meets on Thursdays in Hallhill Sports Centre, on the town’s Kellie Road, from 10.30-12pm. “It used to have around 8 or 9 people coming along but that can now be 23 or 24 people. Many don’t have Alzheimer’s or Dementia but some do. Great guests come along to visit us every week, young and old and not just from the world of sport, and our members really enjoy hearing from them. Maria Lyall is an ambassador and she’s always a fantastic support and we’ve also had John Wright, Brad Robertson, Neil McCann and Pat Nevin – all local to our area with great tales to tell. The lifeboat team and fire service have visited and the mix reflects the varied group that we have.”

With many thanks to East Lothian Courier for the photograph and East Lothian Council for the article. You can read the fuller article here.