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Volunteers Week – Reflections on year of Scunthorpe Sporting Memories

With Volunteers Week upon us, we thought it would be a good idea to share some of the stories of our incredible volunteers and their Clubs. In the first feature of this week, we spoke to Tilly Brock, who supports our Club held at the Attis Arena, home of Scunthorpe United. 

Fun Friday

Tilly has been a volunteer at the Club since it launched in May 2025, and we began our discussion with Tilly by asking about her experiences of being part of the group a year on.

“We call it Fun Friday - it’s a giggle and it ends the week really nice for us.” Tilly began.

“We have a lovely mix of people that come to the sessions; people with dementia with their husband or wife, those that are visually impaired, and in general others from the local community. I think we get misunderstood sometimes about us just being for football because we are based at Scunthorpe United’s ground, but we’re happy for anyone to come, even if they don’t really have an interest in sport.”

Tilly’s background is supporting those living with dementia and it was through her previous knowledge of Sporting Memories that sparked the idea for launching a Sporting Memories session in Scunthorpe.

“I’ve been a dementia nurse for around 25-30 years. I was an admiral nurse and attended dementia congress when I first discovered Sporting Memories and knew they tried to get a club going in the town where I worked. But the Club in Scunthorpe was more by chance really.

“I was working in the NHS at the time but didn’t work Fridays. I went to a Dementia Action Alliance group and met with Jo from the Iron Foundation and just happened to say ‘have you ever thought about Sporting Memories?’. So, it kind of went from there really - with me and Jo just putting our heads together and deciding to get it going!”

“Luckily the Iron Foundation supported the idea and felt that it was something that they’d like to do. So, I committed myself to be a volunteer. I’ve left the NHS now and work in social care, but I still only work four days a week. So, I’ve kept my Fridays free so that I can continue to volunteer for Sporting Memories.”

Supporting the sessions

Tilly volunteers at the Sporting Memories sessions with the support of Jo and Max from the Iron Foundation, Scunthorpe United’s community organisation, and she went on to explain how with their combined efforts they are making the group an enjoyable experience for all that attend.

“I’d say we’re a nice team and we all combine really well. I don’t have a dinky-do about football, but Max is the Chief Executive of the Iron Foundation and an ex-footballer and Jo also has a passion for sport, so I think it works nicely as the guys can speak more in detail about the sport than I can!

“The Scunthorpe United players are also really polite, saying hello to everybody when they come through the doors and I believe they’ve really bought into what Sporting Memories is and can do for older people.

“In terms of the sessions, we’ve just got a little activity cupboard and we pull something out each week, whether it be an inside football to play or the leather football for members to hold and look at, as well as the Replay Cards which are great conversation starters. The quiz in the Sporting Pink is always something we do and it can be quite competitive in a fun way”

“But a lot of our members just enjoy the opportunity to have a chat. From my experiences over the past year we could easily spend the two hours we have just nattering away.”

Looking for more volunteers and members

With the Club recently passing its first anniversary and looking to grow its membership, we asked Tilly what her message would be to anyone locally who would like to get involved with the Sporting Memories Club.

“It would be nice to have some additional volunteers, as well as members, who could be part of the Club on a regular basis. Volunteering can be quite a commitment, but I would personally say that it has been rewarding and I thoroughly look forward to being part of the sessions every Friday.

“Like I said before – we call it fun Friday. There’s no pressure on anyone and they can get involved at their own pace, whether it’s through the activities or the chats we have. It doesn’t matter; Sporting Memories is for anybody that’s over 50 that might feel a bit isolated and would like a bit of company and a giggle.”

Scunthorpe Sporting Memories runs every Friday from 1pm to 3pm at the Attis Arena, home of Scunthorpe United FC. If you would like to find out more about attending the sessions, or supporting as a volunteer, please contact enquiries@ironfoundation.co.uk or call 01724 705 010 for further information.