September 2015

There was a strong Cornish theme to the Memory Cafe this month. The first weekend in September always sees the celebration of the Cornish Gorsedd, and we were delighted to welcome two Cornish bards to our gathering: Caner Plu Golom (Singer of the Parish of St Columb) and Canores Porthysak (Singer of Port Isaac) or in English husband and wife Keith and Clarinda Truscott, along with friend and accompanist Heather.

Keith and Clarinda were elected bards in 2002 and they were able to explain some of the history, traditions and dress of the Cornish Gorsedd, as well as introducing us to a little of the Cornish language and links with other Celtic nations.

The cafe was dressed in black and gold in honour of their visit, and the Cornish tartan and flag were much in evidence! There were plenty of Cornish books to look at, some Cornish copper and, of course, a puzzle – how many place names and surnames can you think of beginning with ‘Tre, Pol, Pen, Porth or Ros?’

It’s not surprising that we were soon singing along to ‘Camborne Hill’, ‘The White Rose’, ‘Hail to the Homeland’, as well as listening to some less well known, but equally enjoyable Cornish numbers performed by our guests.

Refreshments were much appreciated by all (including saffron cake of course!) and our catering volunteers were kept especially busy, as were delighted to have a packed room this month.

After tea, we relaxed and listened to an instrumental medley of Ivor Novello tunes played by Heather, who then read two of her own atmospheric poems – what a talented girl!

The afternoon concluded with some more delightful duets from Keith and Clarinda, ending with a rousing performance of ‘Trelawney’ from us all – what else! As always, it was a busy, entertaining and very enjoyable afternoon, with time for a chat and a smile amongst friends.

Crantock Memory Cafe is open and free for all those concerned with memory loss and their carers. For more information speak to our friendly volunteers Di on 01637 830544 or Joan on 01637 831347.

Our next two meetings will be held on Monday 21st September and Monday 5^th October from 2pm to 4pm in Crantock Village Hall. 

August 2015

The Memory Cafe opened its doors even wider than usual on August 17^th when, in addition to our usual members and helpers, we welcomed friends, families and supporters to join us for an afternoon of ‘Fun and games’.

Visitors were greeted by a village hall decorated with bunting and brightly coloured stalls  and were invited to ‘have a go’ at a wide range of games and side-shows which included old favourites such as ‘hoopla’, ‘ hook a duck’, ‘tin can alley’ and ‘play your cards right’, and for the more seriously sporty amongst us, golf putting and bowls.

There was also the opportunity to ‘splat-a-rat’, shoot the ducks or throw a frog – but don’t worry – no animals came to any harm!  For our more sedate members a ‘Fairground Wordsearch’ and a ‘Fair’s Fair Puzzle Page’ were provided in a quieter room with a cup of tea if required!

Our catering staff were kept busy throughout the afternoon providing everyone with the usual delicious homemade cakes and refreshments, and all in all a great afternoon was had by everyone.  It was a pleasure to take the opportunity of the school holidays to welcome some young visitors to the Memory Cafe – some were a great help manning games, whilst others provided us with a delightful song-and-dance routine to round off the afternoon. Everyone enjoyed reliving memories of some of the simpler pleasures and activities from earlier years!

Our September meetings will be held on Monday 7^th September and Monday 21^st September from 2pm to 4pm in Crantock Village Hall. Crantock Memory Cafe is open and free for all those concerned with memory loss and their carers. For more information speak to our friendly volunteers Di on 01637 830544 or Joan on 01637 831347. You will also have an opportunity to find out more about us by visiting our stall at the Crantock Bale Push on Friday 11^th September from 5pm onwards.

July 2015 extra

As a result of some temporary re-organisation, we’ve had two consecutive ‘Memory Cafe Extra’ meetings during the last four weeks. This has worked well, as we’ve been looking back at past decades through the use of old film footage and advertisements: the 1950s first, followed two weeks later by the ‘Swinging 60s’. We were fascinated by the way major news events were presented and amused by predictions of how technologies would develop by the 21^st century!

It’s a good job we all listened carefully, as this was followed on by a quiz with multi-choice answers which was quite testing for everyone!  Never mind – a cup of tea and a slice of cake soon revived us and a chance to relax and have a chat brought us all back to the present.

During our 1950s cafe we had artefacts and books to bring back memories and in our 1960s cafe we spent a pleasant and amusing half hour playing a game of ‘Bird Bingo’ to round off the afternoon – a great way to identify and learn the names of some unfamiliar birds, as well as winning chocolates for a line or a ‘full house’, or should that be nest!

All in all two very pleasant and entertaining afternoons and our ‘Memory Cafe Extra’ numbers are growing with every meeting.