A VITAL resource to provide help and support to the elderly and those with early-stage memory loss is proving popular in Skipton, thanks to a band of volunteers.

Here, former Skipton Girls’ High School student and University of Chester graduate Emma Leeming, talks about the Memory Lane Cafe and meets one of its volunteers.

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Colgrave, secretary of the Practice Health Champions, which started Memory Lane Cafe around six years ago.

They are a group of volunteers working in partnership with Fisher Medical Centre and run two groups in Skipton - Memory Lane Café, held on the last Thursday of each month between 2pm and 3.30pm at The Swadford Centre, in Swadford Street, and the Crafts and Coffee Group, held on alternate Wednesdays in the seminar room above Fisher Medical Centre.

The Crafts and Coffee Group has recently changed its meeting times and this now takes place between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Both of these exist to support and comfort the elderly, the vulnerable, and those with early-stage memory loss.

These groups are very friendly and always looking for new members to join.

I noticed this service of Memory Lane Café in the search results while looking up places and groups in and around the Yorkshire area.

I sent an email to Tony to find out more, and our meeting came about.

I told Tony of how I used to walk back to my car when I used to work in Skipton town centre, and I would pass a street of bungalows, appearing to be mostly occupied by elderly people.

During the summer, an elderly gentleman would sit outside his house on his bench. I would smile and wave to him and he would happily return them.

One day, on my drive home, a thought occurred to me. I could be one of the only people he had spoken to that day. I never saw any family or friends sitting on the bench alongside him. I thought of how many others there must be in similar situations to this gentleman.

I spoke to Tony of how I always wished there was something in place for them to escape their loneliness and have the chance to socialise, and how pleased I was to discover Memory Lane Café, a service catering for the very social issues I had been concerned about for the last couple of years.

The group is just one of the many services run by The Practice Health Champions since 2014. In March 2015, the group appointed a chairman, secretary, and treasurer.

These volunteers assist in running the facility and provide activities such as: reminiscing, films, music, bingo, dominoes, and many more. These activities exercise the mental and social abilities of those living with affected memories, as well as providing a place of fun and mutual support for the carers of attendees.

They currently have 130 to 150 attendees. Most are elderly and some are classed as vulnerable, therefore the group has ensured that most of the volunteers working with them have been DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certified.

I wrote this article about Memory Lane Café and Practice Health Champions simply in a bid to increase the awareness and support of this fantastic project.

It addresses the issues of loneliness and lack of support for the elderly and people living with dementia and/or disabilities, which I believe is a persistent problem in and around the Yorkshire area.

The volunteers behind such a brilliant service deserve thanks and recognition for the amazing work they do. So, thank you to Practice Health Champions for all that you do in the area.

For more information visit the Facebook page: ‘Practice Health Champions – Skipton’; contact Tony Colgrave via his email - t.colgrave@gmail.com or phone: 01756 794136. For the Crafts and Coffee Group contact Pauline Jackson on: 07522794264.