Blog

Today was our first session at the Finchley Cricket Club. We made sure to be at the venue early so that we could be ready for members arriving and members that could be lost.

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Valerie from Rotary Club Golders Green volunteered to stand with our Pull Up Banner on the corner of the street pavement to make sure members could see where the venue was. She was very brave standing in the cold. It was quite a challenge standing with the Pull Up Banner which was swaying in the cold wind. Mark then joined Valerie to assist.

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A few of the members started coming and then it was good to see that many members started arriving. There were 2 new people who also attended and Mark had to run out and bring them.

The tables were beautifully set with pots of tea and coffee and lovely biscuit and cakes and even finger sandwiches just like at The Ritz. Members were very pleased and felt very welcomed especially as the real fire to keep the venue warm and cozy.

Amy and her mother Sarah were busy in and out of the kitchen looking after members. It was lovely to also see Amy’s dog Alfie who was so excited to see so many people and he was getting so munch attention. Members enjoyed their teas and cakes and sandwiches and were happy chatting for a while and then Valerie who is session leader welcomed the members.

As it was Remembrance Day, one of the carers James brought some old photos to show members when he was young during the war and he also had some war poems to read out. Valerie invited James to read them out and James also talked about some of his medals. He had a Veteran’s badge at the top of his tie and below that he had the Cambrai Badge which recognised the death of his grandfather in the battle in November 1917. James was also wearing a RAF General Service Medal with the Canal Zone Bar.

Members were very pleased to hear the poems and also to learn about the medals. Thank you James. Lisa and James then talked about the Lord Mayor Show which was on Saturday 9th November. Lisa told members about the show and how James also attended and took part in the very long walk holding a banner which highlighted Dementia Club UK.

The session then followed with Valerie doing a short ‘Family Fortunes’ quiz which was good fun and then Eon arrived ready to do exercises with the members. As usual Eon who members call ‘Mr Motivator’ made everyone work hard but it’s also always fun.

The music entertainer then arrived – Ian James and he also brought his little dog Theo today who made friends very quickly with Alfie. Members really had a wonderful afternoon and can’t wait for the next session.

Thank you today to Rotary volunteers Michael, Kuljit and Satwan and Sheila and session leader and Trustee Valerie. Also thank you to Mark who is also Trustee and of course Amy and Sarah for setting up the rooms and making members feel so welcomed.

I was delighted to attend and participate in the Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday 9th November and join the Metropolitan Grand Lodge & Chapter of London Freemasons float.

It was a pleasure to be walking beside a Fire Engine and supporting your charitable cause to purchase for the London Fire Brigade (LFB) two 60 metre long super-aerial platforms which can reach to the 25th floor of high rise blocks.

It was a pleasure to participate in this parade and I would also like to thank the Metropolitan Grand Lodge for also allowing me to raise the profile of my charity Dementia Club UK by holding up a banner during the show.

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The photos show the Great Hall at St Barts Hospital in London where we met and prepared for the Lord Mayors Show. There are magnificent murals by Hogarth as you walk up the stairs to the great Hall. We had lunch in the Great Hall after the show was over. The photos also depict what it is like waiting for your turn to start the route, there were lots of similar streets with everyone waiting. You get a chance to chat and mingle with the other people in the show.

It was lovely to see 2 new members today with their families.

The café area seems to be working well and everyone enjoys attending as it is bright and members enjoy the fresh coffee and especially the cappuccino.

Lisa welcomed the members and Annalisa informed them about the Christmas Party next month. Annalisa then took the exercise session with members and as always Annalisa makes sure that everyone participates.{gallery}BC20191107{/gallery}

It was then time for James our music entertainer and as members were warmed up, they were ready for singing and some dancing. James introduced some music today which involved members doing more exercises but they were fun and as usual James’s music quiz is always challenging as everyone has to guess the name of the song or artist and try to get as many pointe as possible.

A very successful and happy afternoon. There were no volunteers today but myself and Mark however one or two of the carers were happy to help.

A very busy session as always. Today members were entertained by Muz and Faz. Muz Janoowalla is a Director of his company called Ping is King Ltd

www.pingIsking.com

and he has developed several games with a twist which he has introduced to care homes and other organisations. He is now attending with his wife Faz and trying out all his games with our members at our various dementia club.

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Members were delighted to see and try out some of the games using coloured plastic cups and coloured plastic balls of different sizes to bounce and catch in their hand. Members were then introduced to Pingo which is another version of Bingo with a twist. Members enjoyed the games.

Lisa then continued the session with some singing and then some exercise to music which followed with some dancing. The session finished with a quiz which members enjoyed as these were questions from a year going back to 1954 which brought back many memories and conversations.

Thank you to our volunteers today Angela Chen, Melvyn and of course Mark.

Mollie and June from The Rotary of Northwick Park ensured that members who attended (Rita, Joy, Irene and Mabel) with their carers received a warm welcome.

Tea was in the pot with cakes and biscuits on the tables, as well as funky colouring-in sheets and crayons.

After tea and chat, Danielle led a quiz of 60 questions, all of which generated even more chat and laughter. Everyone was able to participate with a broad variety of questions.

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Our singer, James Le Bec, together with the lovely Joy, got us doing exercises to his music and led a musical film quiz. Mabel expertly threw the dice and, as ever, Kevin made us laugh. Dr Nandini gave the dancing a miss, whilst recovering from sciatica but Lisa and Mark were first on the dance floor.

It was a light-hearted fun and relaxing atmosphere which was enjoyed by all. Thank you to Rotarians from Edgware & Stanmore, Angelie and Suresh who multi-tasked, ensuring the clearing up was seamlessly done. See you next time, Tuesday 3rd December

We had 12 members today with their carers and we also had 3 volunteers from Rotary Club Hendon – Eugenia, Charlyn and Franka who came with her mother Paulina and her mother in law Theresa.

As it was Halloween, Lisa surprised all the members with her witches hat which had long orange hair. Members sat and enjoyed their teas and coffees and were also further surprised as Lisa had brought some Halloween chocolate treats which everyone enjoyed whilst chatting

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Lisa then suggested a game of bingo which everyone was happy to play especially as there were a couple of prizes to win. Members played for 2 lines and then it was time for the exercises with Eon who had prepared the chairs and was waiting.

Eon brought his dyna bands which he distributed to each members to use as part of the exercise. Members love to exercise with Eon as it’s always great fun and very challenging.

The session then continued with James Bernard who was ready to entertain. His choice of music and great voice always gets people up and dancing very quickly. It was a very happy session and everyone had a good time.

Thank you to our Rotary volunteers and also to Mark one of the Trustees who also helped throughout the session.

A very busy session as usual. The session today was led by Annette as Lisa had to go and do a talk about dementia to Northwick Park Hospital doctors and consultants.

Annette provided members with a quiz which was based on various topics. This kept members busy chatting amongst their group on the table to work out the answers whilst also enjoying their teas and coffees, biscuits and cakes.

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Lisa organised a new music entertainer today – Ian James. Members really enjoyed his music and had a great afternoon, singing, clapping and dancing.

Thank you today to our volunteers who helped throughout the session – Dr Angela and Melissa, Theresa and Angela Chen.

Members arrived and were very quickly sat down with their friends to enjoy their teas and coffees and lovely cakes.

As it was the Diwali New Year celebrations recently, Lisa had prepared a Diwali multi choice quiz today. Some of the answers were straight forward but there were a few tricky questions which even a couple of the members who celebrated Diwali were not quite sure of the answers. It was however very interesting learning.

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Lisa then gave members a poem which everyone read out together called – ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ We then had one of the members – Chrystalla who was celebrating her 91 years birthday. Lisa bought a lovely chocolate cake and her birthday was celebrated in the usual DCUK fashion. She was very happy.

It was then time for Joanna who showed members some Chi Kung exercises and relaxations techniques.

Members were then ready for some music entertainment with James Bernard. The birthday girl was first up to dance with James the singer and then it didn’t take long when everyone was up and dancing. It was a very enjoyable session. There were no volunteers today but the carers did not hesitate to help.

Thank you to all the carers that helped. Thank you also to Mark one of our Trustees who set up the tables and chairs and also helped throughout the session.