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Volunteers Week – From member to volunteer at our Exmouth Club

During Volunteers Week, we’ve been sharing the experiences of some of our brilliant volunteers who help to run our Clubs across the UK. In this feature, we speak with Tim Jennings who supports our Club in Exmouth. 

Tim has been part of the Sporting Memories family for just over a year, having first joined his local Club as a member in 2024. Tim found out about the Club through Peter Ferlie, Active in Later Life Manager at Age UK Devon, who supports a number of Sporting Memories Clubs in Devon.

Tim began by explaining his journey with Age UK Devon and how that eventually ended up with him joining our session in Exmouth.

“I had a heart attack which brought a slightly premature end to my career, so I then decided to look for some volunteering opportunities.

“When I was looking for volunteering opportunities in the local area, Age UK Devon caught my eye, as I’d previously done work with them in the Midlands. They were looking for ‘Digital Champions’ to help older people make the most of technology, and I still help support this programme, running a drop-in clinic each week at a local community café.”

“It was through Age UK Devon I met Peter who explained to me about the Sporting Memories Club in Exmouth and what they are all about.

“I love watching and talking about sport; I still also play a bit of sport, but not as much as I used to! The opportunity to go along and talk about sport for an hour and a half every week sounded too good a chance to miss!

“It’s about a year since I joined as a participant. When I first joined it just felt like a great place to be - everyone was really welcoming. Also it felt more informal than I was expecting, which I think helps people relax and feel more comfortable in new surroundings.”

Changing roles

Tim’s role eventually changed at the Club, shifting from member to volunteer. Despite some initial caution at this change, Tim is thrilled with how the group have embraced him as one of the Club’s volunteers.

“One day Peter asked if I could lead the sessions in his absence, and whilst I was a little unsure, by that stage I knew the format of how the sessions ran, so agreed to give it a go.

“Using the resources we have for the Club, like the Sporting Pinks, and with some guidance from Peter, I gained the confidence to lead the sessions, which Peter and I now split running between us.”

Tim then spoke about how he and Peter try to make sessions engaging for members and how he plans to learn from other local Sporting Memories Clubs in Devon.

“We don’t have the most modern facilities where we are based, so we try and run a few activities away from it to mix things up. We’ve had a few of the Club’s members visit Exeter City to watch some of their matches, which has been nice. Also, Somerset Women’s Cricket team are playing in Exmouth soon, so we’re planning to watch them play, which I’m sure will be enjoyable for the group as well.

“I’m also hoping to visit the other Sporting Memories Clubs in Devon as I’d like to see how they operate and maybe take some insights from what they do into our sessions.”

Our Exmouth Club

Tim then went into further detail about the range of people who form his Sporting Memories Club, and how through his volunteering capacity, he has learned a lot about supporting older people with a range of abilities.

“We’ve got a mixture of people in the group, some living with dementia and memory loss, some who are looking for company and others who just love talking about sport.

“Before coming to Sporting Memories I hadn’t had any real interactions with people living with dementia, but Peter again kindly pointed me towards a couple of dementia awareness courses.

“The courses, combined with my experiences of being at the Club, has allowed me to understand the condition much better and also be aware of what things we can do at Sporting Memories which might be able to help them and others benefit from the sessions.”

Reflections on his time with Sporting Memories

Tim has certainly enjoyed his Sporting Memories journey so far and finished our chat by reflecting on the key factors that have made his volunteering journey with Sporting Memories worthwhile.

“If I was summing it up for someone, I’d say the reason for volunteering with Sporting Memories would be that the sessions are right at the heart of the community, that you can learn new skills and build some wonderful friendships with the members and other volunteers who make the Club feel a special place to belong.”

The Exmouth Sporting Memories Club runs every Tuesday between 10:30am to 11:30am at the Exmouth Railway Club. For further information on how you can join, contact Peter Ferlie via info@ageukdevon.co.uk or 0333 241 2340