January 2018

January 8^th saw the first Memory Café of 2018 and as usual a merry band of friends, old and new gathered at Crantock Village Hall for a pleasant entertaining and social afternoon. 

There was plenty of news to share about Christmas and New Year celebrations and a tricky word search based around the names of all our regular friends and helpers to get brains into gear!

Once everyone had settled in we welcomed back some of our friends from ‘Dogtastic Dog Obedience Team’ with, of course, their canine partners, who entertained us with a display of dog obedience and agility. This year’s theme was ‘pantomimes’, and dogs and their owners were suitably dressed to represent Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow White’s wicked stepmother, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell and Red Riding Hood with her granny – they all looked fantastic, and impressed us with their routines so much that they had to give us an encore!

The display was particularly enjoyed by those of us who have had pets of our own, and there was time to pat the dogs and have a chat with their owners afterwards.

Teatime was soon upon us and as usual a delicious selection of home-made cakes was placed around the tables and we all tucked in – so much for New Year’s Resolutions.

As the teacups were cleared away, boxes of mixed memorabilia were distributed around the tables. Everyone was encouraged to delve in and see what treasures they could find, and as the boxes contained a wide range of familiar items from past decades, there was something different to amuse or interest each one of us, stirring memories of childhood, work, holidays, family members and much more!
   

The afternoon flew by, and there was a chance to stretch our legs and peep in other boxes before it was time to close up the café once more, and we look forward to meeting up again on January 22nd at Crantock Village Hall from 2pm.

December 2017 extra

There was a festive spirit in the air for our final Memory Café of 2017. Seasonal music greeted our visitors and they quickly settled down to have a go at a Christmas wordsearch, or to have a look through the latest edition of the Bowgie-sponsored ‘Sparkle’ magazine.

Our special guest for the afternoon was Jonathan Hayter, an artist and teacher, who spread out on the tables a very long roll of paper. He then encouraged us to discover our inner-creative talents with the aid of a range of chalks, pastels and paints in bright colours!

Soon a variety of styles, colours, pictures and patterns emerged, stretching almost from one end of the room to the other as we surprised not only Jonathan but ourselves as well with our work!

Tea-time soon approached and everyone moved to our festively-dressed tables, complete with Christmas crackers, to enjoy some tasty refreshments. There was time for a chat and an exchange of corny cracker jokes and a welcome cup of tea!

To end the afternoon there was a Crantock version of ‘pass the parcel’ which involved passing and unwrapping two big snowballs to the accompaniment of some Christmas music which gave everyone a chance to sing along and have a laugh. Gifts were distributed to all our visitors who duly thanked all our organisers and helpers for their efforts throughout the year.

We look forward to meeting up again on 8th January and, as always, we welcome anyone with memory loss, together with their carers, to join us for a relaxed and enjoyable afternoon at Crantock Village Hall.

December 2017

Our first cafe in December took place on Monday 4^th, and with a theme of ‘Christmas Past’ it was clear that the festive spirit was here with the Village Hall beautifully decorated which added to the atmosphere!

On arrival, our visitors were greeted with a display of ‘vintage’ Christmas cards, books, tree decorations and even cake decorations which certainly evoked some memories.

After a chance to settle in, our visitors faced a ‘Christmas double challenge word-search’ which got everyone thinking. This was followed by a seasonal music-based game involving listening to familiar Christmas songs and carols from past decades and working out who was the singer - was it Bing Crosby or Dean Martin? Could that be Doris Day or was it Vera Lynn? This certainly required a bit of thought, but with a few clues and some friendly discussions around the tables, we soon worked most of them out!

Next, pictorial conversation boards were distributed encouraging everyone to look back and share their memories of such topics as tree-decorating, parties, carol-singing, Christmas presents and a range of other seasonal activities. The nostalgic hour passed quickly, and soon it was time for tea and the opportunity to stretch our legs and view the display or go and chat with friends.

Meanwhile, our friends ‘Cameo’ from St Columb Minor had arrived looking very sparkly and festive, and as refreshments were cleared away everyone settled down to be entertained with songs and verses – and a little bit of dancing too! Most of the songs were familiar with plenty of opportunities to sing along, and the warm round of applause they received at the end was fully deserved.

 As usual it was a most enjoyable and entertaining way to spend the afternoon and to begin our Christmas celebrations. We look forward to meeting up again in two weeks time on Monday 18^th December at Crantock Village Hall from 2pm and we are always pleased to welcome new visitors. Should you need further information please ring Di on 01637 830544, or Joan on 01637 831347