WHO’S the greatest – Muhammad Ali or Joe Frazier? Do you remember England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, or locally do you recall the best matches played at Louth Town FC, Grimsby Town or Lincoln City?
Thanks to a £2,500 donation from Louth Rotary Club to the community arm of the Magna Vitae Trust for Leisure & Culture, a new Sporting Memories Club is being planned for Louth and the local villages.
Kick-off for the face-to-face socials will be when lockdown restrictions are eased with times and venues announced. In the meantime, people are invited to join the free virtual weekly sessions that have been running successfully. The details are at the end of this story.
For people aged 50-plus, it is hoped that the new weekly social club will be as popular as the existing one in Skegness. Another had been due to start in Mablethorpe prior to the first lockdown last March and that will also start when restrictions ease.
Over the last five years Magna Vitae, which runs the main leisure centres across the district, has grown its community work significantly with support from both larger organisations, such as the National Lottery Community Funded T.E.D. programme, to the smaller groups like Louth Rotary Club.
This has resulted in a raft of popular events and weekly socials for over 50s, and those living with life-limiting conditions. Its lauded Still Me sessions for people with dementia and their carers and relatives, won the 2019 Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly ‘Championing Diversity’ award giving the project national recognition. Meanwhile, Sporting Memories has been born out of regular Fitness, Food & Friends sessions, and CHAPS socials – the latter aimed at 50-plus men.
In past years, Louth Rotary Club has donated to Magna Vitae’s Dementia Swimming group and the hugely successful Winter Games, which took place in November 2019 with money raised at the club’s annual Louth Memory Walk.
Speaking on behalf of the 37-strong Louth Rotary Club and its President Pam Ashley-Marsh, Secretary Dianna Broadmeadow said: “What we are very aware of within the club is the impact that conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease can have on carers and relatives, not just those personally affected. It can be isolating and no more so than during this pandemic.
“Every year Rotary Clubs are invited to apply for grants from the International Rotary. We wanted to bid for this money to invest in something that would have a sustainable impact, bringing people together and supporting them especially at this time. We are delighted to have won this money and be working with our corporate partners at Magna Vitae again,” added Dianna.
Thanking the club, Magna Vitae Lifestyle Partnership Lead Tracey Wilkinson, said: “It is wonderful to have this continued support and vital too, that we can use the money donated to reach out to people in Louth and the surrounding villages who will truly benefit from the work we do.”
If you are a sports fan, past or present, and want to share your experiences and memories with others either virtually now or when the club starts, please contact Marko Humphrey on marko.humphrey@mvtlc.org or call 07767 664186.