A new project at Dunbar Grammar School has brought young and older sports fans together for company and friendly competition.
I’ve had a good life and I want others to, too. If I can make people aware of dementia and what we do I’ll be happy.
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 Memories’ members. It follows from the school’s award-winning Dinners @DGS intergenerational project.
Sporting Memories groups support a wide range of people aged 50-plus, including those living with dementia, offering an opportunity to reminisce, replay and reconnect through the power of sport and physical activity.
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.
Interaction and understanding
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.”
Tremendous feedback
Ian ‘Iby’ Robertson from Dunbar Sporting Memories group is passionate about the benefits of intergenerational projects as an opportunity for young people and his Memories members. He said: “The feedback from the visit was tremendous. All of our members have spoken to me since to say 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.”
Iby explains that be became involved in Dunbar Sporting Memories as a very good friend and former workmate of his had dementia. “I would visit him once a week and it also meant his wife could go out with her friends,” he said. “I began looking for other things we could do outside of the house and found the group. I’ve been coming along since and, before I knew it, got involved in running the club.”
Dunbar Sporting Memories
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.”
Dunbar Sporting Memories is having a “sports/fun/?” day on Thursday 31 July at Dunbar United’s grounds offering a range of activities including football, quoits and croquet for existing members and people interested in joining-in.
“I’ve had a good life and I want others to, too,” says Iby. “If I can make people aware of dementia and what we do I’ll be happy.”
Find Dunbar Sporting Memories Group on Facebook or online at www.sportingmemories.uk.