Post by peterh on Aug 22, 2021 16:22:55 GMT
The Friendly Club & Café started on 5th August and will be open every Thursday afternoon between 2.30pm and 5pm. It is based at St Mary’s Church Wivenhoe, to take advantage of the Church’s new Annexe and its greater facilities. The Friendly Club & Café is the initiative of the Wivenhoe Dementia Support Group, itself only formed in February this year, in partnership with St Mary’s Church.
The Friendly Club & Café is open to anybody who wants to come down, meet other people and socialise, or just pop in for a cup of tea or coffee. People who have been diagnosed with dementia, and their carers, are especially welcome.
We have a wonderful team of 30 volunteers who will run the Club & Cafe each week. Most of them have completed a 1 hour information session on dementia and are now Dementia Friends.
We hope the Friendly Club & Café will fulfil a need for people to know that they are not alone, to provide an opportunity to meet and talk to other people in great surroundings, and be amongst friends. This is a Club with no membership requirements. Already, we have been welcoming over 50 people to each of our sessions to date.
Rev Erwin Lammens said: “This initiative is a perfect example of how we can do more for all the people in our community with our new facilities”.
Everyone will be very welcome to join us every Thursday afternoon and have some fun. There is a flat fee of £2 on entrance to cover unlimited tea or coffee and biscuits. We aim to have a bit of entertainment or maybe a speaker at each of these afternoons.
Deputy Chairman of the Wivenhoe Dementia Support Group, Michelle Burrows, will be leading Singing for the Brain sessions on some afternoons. Music will feature strongly in the sort of activities which will take place. Other activities will be introduced in due course. Alison Ling is already establishing a knitting table for those who want to do something with their hands. We have been donated a keyboard and there is digital piano available to anyone who can come and play.