Older People Wellbeing
Our Day Out
England Norwich
Sporting Memories
This project is now complete
Sporting Memories Network brought generations of sports fans together to celebrate memories of London 2012 in a ground-breaking project that aimed to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of older people.
The project in numbers
£86,625
Project spend
December 2014 – March 2016
Project duration
Visit Sporting Memories Foundation’s website
For further information
Sporting Memories Foundation works across England, Scotland and Wales to deliver mixed physical activity and reminiscence activities in community settings for people aged 50+, including people who are living with a dementia.
Spirit of 2012 made three grants to Sporting Memories totalling £86,625 for activities inspired by the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Tour De France in Yorkshire – continuing the London 2012 legacy.
The original grant to Sporting Memories (£49,951) sat alongside grants to Youth Sport Trust for Inclusive Futures and the British Olympic Association for Get Set’s Road to Rio, as part of Spirit of 2012’s funding activity around the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Eighty groups were established across the UK, combining physical activity with older adults sharing memories with young people about major events such as the 1966 World Cup and London 2012. These grants promote social connectedness across generations, whilst reducing inactivity.
Le Grand Depart (£12,000 grant) culminated in an event on 5 July 2015 to mark the first anniversary of the Tour De Yorkshire. Sporting Memories hosted a memory gathering event at Leeds Town Hall, attended by the general public, tour makers and school children. Guest of honour was 84-year-old Brian Robson, the first Britain to compete (and win a stage!) of the Tour De France. Children were supported to gather stories from older relatives as part of the event.
The final grant (£24,674) supported Sporting Memories Foundation to road test the toolkits they have developed as part of the original grant in different locations across the UK.
The Sporting Memories Network was supported by Olympic and Paralympic stars Sir Steve Redgrave, Dr Katherine Grainger and David Weir, who have all shared their own favourite memories of reaching the pinnacle of their sports by winning Gold.
Project aims
- Connect generations, encouraging conversation and story sharing around memories of events
- Use the first anniversary of the Grand Depart to promote volunteering, and provide a wellbeing focused event for local people.
Impact
“There is a strong sense with SMF is that it has struck gold in matching an existing (and indeed, increasing) need for holistic care and meaningful activities for older people with dementia, and the ongoing need to develop young people’s potential and build communities by connecting generations, with a targeted and precise intervention.” – Evaluation
The conversations opened the doorway for meaningful connections across the generations. One teacher observed that the older people had enjoyed finding out how much the girls enjoyed football, and had begun following their progress in the league.
Teachers observed that the sessions were beneficial to the young people. “There was so many “this is why I went into teaching moments” for me and my colleague just seeing… the way some of our young people really had to get out of their comfort zones and really challenge themselves. The project evaluation noted that some teachers intended to carry on the connection to the residential homes into the new academic year.
Le Grand Depart was a hugely successful event which received widespread media coverage. Sporting Memories were particularly struck by the appetite for the Tour Makers (those who had volunteered during the Grand Depart itself) to volunteer at the reminiscence event – the 40 volunteer spaces were filled within an hour of the invitation. 89% of volunteers expressed an interest in volunteering with Sporting Memories Foundation in the future – perhaps busting some preconceptions about what ‘event volunteers’ are interested in getting involved with post event.
Since these event-inspired projects, Sporting Memories has also been a partner in Get Out Get Active, and a grant holder as part of Changing Lives through Physical Activity .
Check back soon for learning, evaluation reports and toolkits.