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Chris reflects on 15 years of Sporting Memories

Blink and before you know it 15 years has gone by… 

That could be said to our CEO and co-founder Chris Wilkins MBE – it has been quite some journey over the past 15 years. Chris has been involved from the very beginning when Sporting Memories was established on this day in 2011.

Thanks to a brilliant team of staff and hundreds of incredible volunteers, Sporting Memories, which is a relatively small charity and social enterprise, has always punched above its weight and over the years it has continued to grow, evolve and deepen its impact.

On our first-ever Sporting Memories Day, being held on the 15th anniversary of our establishment, we caught up with Chris to reflect on the journey so far and what is yet to come.

The start of the journey

From the very inception of Sporting Memories there was always the ambition to develop something that could have both a positive impact on the lives of older sports fans and could grow and connect people across the UK and even overseas.

“In our very early days I said that if we could eventually help someone originally from Glasgow who is now living in a care home in Australia, then that is what we should strive for. It seemed rather fanciful at the time but now, after 15 years and over 150 weekly Clubs across the UK, and the first clubs established in both Australia and New Zealand, almost anything seems possible.”

“From our early beginnings with a care home project in Leeds, and our very first Sporting Memories Club in Scotland, Sporting Memories has always evolved as well as grown. At the outset we had a vision to use sports-based reminiscence to connect older sports fans living with long-term conditions or who were socially isolated through sharing stories. Indeed, we had a tagline under our logo of ‘wellbeing through reminiscence’. But it soon became apparent that there was an appetite for more than just sharing memories.

“However, we had a real lightbulb moment when at our first Sporting Memories Club in Haddington, East Lothian, a local sporting legend Willie Wood, a lawn bowler with eight Commonwealth Games and two gold medals under his belt started coming to the Club, initially to share his Sporting Memories with the members.

“He ended up coming back a few times to visit the group and on one occasion all the members of the Club, regardless of their frailties and any cognitive issues, enjoyed having a go at a ten-pin bowling game on a Nintendo Wii along with Willie. What was instantly apparent, was that in the right environment, in an established friendship group, for those with an interest and passion for sport, that urge to have a go at sport doesn’t ever really go away – no matter what age or ability.

“From that point on, we started to integrate different kinds of inclusive sporting activities into our weekly Club model wherever there was an appetite. It has now become a fundamental part of what we do – that unique blend of sports reminiscence, social activities and inclusive physical activities.”

Remembering our impact

Over the past 15 years Chris has seen first-hand the real difference Sporting Memories can make to the lives of those who come to our sessions.

“When people come to our clubs, they very much want to socialise and are keen to have a good time and put their best foot forward regardless of underlying issues that they may face in day-to-day life. You will always see fun and hear laughter at our clubs.

Chris recalled when BBC Sport presenter Eleanor Oldroyd visited one of our Clubs in Scotland to record some of our activities as part of her 5Live documentary ‘Sport and Dementia’.

“During her visit, the Club was as lively, friendly and welcoming as ever, and it was clear to see that everybody was having a good time with lots of great chat and laughter. But for the documentary there were few signs of any members experiencing any particular difficulties or problems.

“Eleanor sat down to interview one of our members who was a passionate Celtic fan. He talked about his passion for his team and shared his memories of the great Lisbon Lions side who won the European Cup, as well as his recollections of the game itself.

“Eleanor eventually moved the discussion away from Celtic and towards his life outside the Club and his family but when she asked his wife’s name he replied, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t remember’.

“Our Clubs can be a really positive part of our members’ lives, somewhere they can reconnect with fellow sports fans and offer relief from what can be a really difficult life for themselves and their families.”

Becoming part of the community

The Clubs also provide a really strong peer support network and a connection to the communities that in the current social and economic climate can so easily be lost.

“Many of our essential volunteers, as well as our members have been involved with us over an incredibly long period of time” said Chris. “They attend week in, week out. We have volunteers and members who’ve been going to the same club for over 10 years. Our Clubs are hosted by sports clubs, village halls, leisure centres, libraries and community centres which place them in the heart of the community where they can naturally connect with local referral, health and other social networks.

Shaping the future of Sporting Memories

We rounded off our conversation with Chris by looking towards the future of Sporting Memories and how working in tandem with various stakeholders and partners will strengthen our Clubs and the nature of the activities we deliver.

“Our ‘social licence’ framework has enabled us to grow this model at scale by partnering with many other organisations such as sports club foundations, leisure groups, local authorities and other third-sector organisations, enabling them to set up their own Sporting Memories Clubs, each at the heart of their own community.

“We’ve always benefitted from finding innovative ways in which our partners support us, such as partners like Zurich and Sky Cares helping us through their volunteering programmes or with schools and universities participating in projects that unite generations through sport and our recent creation of our first Sporting Memories Apprenticeships – it all helps to provide something truly unique and impactful for our members.

“Most recently we are starting to embed the knowledge and expertise of occupational therapists into our activities, to help our staff and volunteers to better adapt our activities to the specific needs of individual Club members to enhance their experience and deepen our impact.

“Ultimately, we still want people to come along and enjoy themselves in a meaningful way that’s very personal to them, personal to their health conditions and to their interests. We’re always on the lookout for partners, be them big or small, where we share common values through a passion for sport, inclusive activities and love of community.

“At Sporting Memories, we believe we can always do more together than we could possibly do alone.”