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Overcoming personal challenges through volunteering

For many of our volunteers, Sporting Memories provides an opportunity to support people within their local community with their physical and mental wellbeing, but in the case of Dunston volunteer Ian Kirby, it also had a great impact on his own personal wellbeing too.

Prior to the Sporting Memories Club in Dunston starting, Ian had faced a number of personal challenges which had impacted on his own wellbeing.

“I’d gone through a bout of loneliness, depression and feeling quite anxious anxiety due to being a being a victim of an assault and also losing my mum in a short period - There was a lot going on at the time.”

“The Community Link team through our local GP put me in touch with a Reading for Wellbeing group to begin with. Eventually they spoke to me about a group which was going to be Sporting Memories and that was going to be taking place in Dunston and asked if that would appeal to me?

“And I thought, yes, because it was going to be something where I was going to be back interacting with people. I’d always had a love of running too, so it suited me in terms of the sporting theme.”

Ian joined the Sporting Memories sessions that started just over three years ago as a Club member, but when founding facilitator James left the group Ian stepped up to take over the sessions as a volunteer. Fortunately for Sporting Memories it was a role in which Ian had previous experience of.

“I’ve always done volunteering throughout my life. I used to volunteer with Gateshead Carers ( The Carer Cafe) and also with St John Ambulance, so volunteering wasn’t unknown to me. I like that side of things.

“When James was leaving, he said: ‘would you think about volunteering?’ and it was actually a no-brainer because I love this group and we really needed someone who could carry on the fine work James did. I also think it was an easier transition because a lot of the group knew me by that point and felt comfortable with me taking over.”

Ian has been one of the main volunteers at the Club for coming up to a year and we asked him about his experiences of the sessions in a new role.

“I want everybody who comes along to feel good when they leave. I want them to feel as if their time with us has been a benefit to them.

“It’s a very open group and that’s lovely because we have a wide range of people who come along, particularly the ladies and the gents who are caring for someone with dementia or another reason; they also get together and they have a little bit chat during the sessions.

“We try to do a range of activities with the members and some of them are physical activities like the indoor curling set and indoor golf to name a couple.

“But we also have some great chats as well – it can range from where you used to live, what you did at school, often linking it to some sporting memory. It’s just lovely to see those discussions taking place and people sharing stories within the group.

“The key thing for everyone that comes along is that they can do things at their own pace. You’re not forced to do something, and that allows people to feel welcomed and included over time.”

“It’s lovely to see and hear when people have liked their time with us. When they want to come back, that’s my measure of seeing they’ve had a good time.”

Finally, we asked Ian about his advice for anyone potentially thinking about supporting Sporting Memories in the future, be it at the Dunston Club or elsewhere.

“It’s so rewarding just to watch people develop a little bit of just happiness again. You can see people getting more confident in front of you every week and gaining that belief they once had to enjoy more aspects of their lives.

“When it comes to the wider scheme of things, it’s just a little bit of your time (to volunteer). It’s that little bit of effort you have to give, but it’s so worthwhile being a volunteer.”

The Dunston Sporting Memories Club runs every fortnight on Tuesdays from 1:30pm to 3pm. For further information on how to join the sessions as a member or volunteer, please contact Info@caregiversconnectedgateshead.co.uk