Tenterden Memory Café & Musical Memories
Update December 2019
We continue to thrive and at this time we have fifty six people who attend the Memory Café, some people attend every week others not so often but whenever they do attend they are always very welcome. Musical Memories has a weekly attendance of about thirty people. About fifteen people join us for the monthly Film Club. Many people attend two or all three of the activities.
The finances for for all three groups are held in one bank account, the accounts are available to be seen at at any time, Jan Bridger is Treasurer. This year we have received a couple of unexpected legacies and donations from The Tenterden Club, The Iden Dancers and Tenterden Probus. We are extremely grateful to The Wealden Business Group who have chosen us as their charity for the year. We also collect donations at all three venues.
Our biggest expense is the rental charges for the three venues. In total this amounts to £2677 per year. At the Memory Café we try to have regular entertainment, costs vary from entertainers who perform for free, those who just charge expenses to those who charge a fee. All of our entertainment is music related and is very popular.
We visited the Rare Breed Centre in June which included a delicious cream tea.
At the beginning of October twenty six of us had a wonderful five night break at an Eastbourne Hotel. This number was a mix of people living with dementia, carers and volunteers. Volunteers are able to stay with people living with dementia enabling carers to have time to shop or just have some quiet time. I have already booked for next year.
For the third year running visitors to The Memory Café were invited to Tenterden Junior School to assist in the creation of artwork for The Tenterden Christmas Festival, we joined friends that we had worked with before and made more new friends. A messy but wonderful time. Last week the combined Tenterden and Rolvenden Primary School Choir visited us at the Café and sang a wonderful medley of Christmas Carols and Songs. Every one agreed that it was a wonderful performance.
The Memory Café has recently been invited to Little Pickles Nursery, small groups but very rewarding. Last week we assisted in decorating the gingerbread men that the children had made, great fun and then we stayed for afternoon tea. This week our visitors listened and participated in Christmas Songs – another lovey time.
An enormous thank you must be given to the wonderful volunteers, many help out at more than one venue. They are an amazing and very modest group of people and our visitors look forward to meeting them whenever they visit. Thanks to Penny who diligently sorts out the volunteer rota for The Memory Café. Many of the volunteers arrive with baskets of biscuits, delicious homemade cakes and other provisions. Special thanks to Tracey Laws who gives so much to Musical Memories. She plays the keyboard, selects the music and keeps everyone happily singing. She is often assisted by pupils from Holmwood School. Special thanks also to Raymond Crawfurd who ensures that all is well at The Film Club, he checks that the DVDs are satisfactory and that we can legally show them.
Thank you all for your support, wishing your all a Happy Christmas and New Year. December 2019
Jan, Vicki & John
For weekly and monthly events see here