Church memory club recognised by South Lanarkshire Provost
Published on 11 April 2025 3 minutes read
A memory club started by the congregation of Trinity Parish Church in Strathaven has been recognised for its contribution to the local area by the Provost of South Lanarkshire.
Councillor Margaret Cooper presented the award for services to the community on Friday 4 April at an event in Hamilton.
Strathaven Memory Club was formed in 2019 after a few church members together with the minister, who is the current Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, and the church's pastoral assistant, felt that the community might benefit from a group dedicated to helping families living with memory issues.
At the outset the aim was to encourage social interaction and provide additional support once a month to around six families, but this has now grown to up to 25 families.
However, during the Covid pandemic, the group had to pause.
Lynda Horn, who helps to run the club, explained how they were able to build attendance up once again once restrictions eased:
"On reopening we were down to two families attending but we have steadily increased our numbers and have around 20-25 families with their carers, or individuals living alone, attending regularly," she said.
"We now meet twice a month on thesecond and fourth Wednesday afternoons of the month and have 13 volunteers.
"The meetings provide social interaction and support, we have music provided by the many talented groups living in the surrounding area, for example folk, Scottish, accordion groups, as well as harpists to name but a few.
"Older, well known tunes are most popular and our members love a sing-a-long and at times a few manage to dance.
"The choir from Kirklandpark Primary come to our Christmas meeting to entertain us with Christmas songs and Highland dancers from the Morag Fraser school of dance come to one of our meetings.
"We also regularly have two couples from the church who enjoy ballroom dancing coming along to perform.
"We have quizzes and games and crafts interspersed with our musical afternoons."
"Annabelle Meikle from the Citizens Advice Bureau comes once a month to give advice and answer any queries.
"Tea, coffee and home baking are also well received with time for a good chat.
"Gentle exercise is popular led by one of our volunteers.
"We meet throughout the year and everyone from the town and surrounding areas is made welcome.
"We are also a Help Point for the Playlist for Life Charity and have provided people in the club with a simple player and their own personal playlist, if they wish to have one."
The Memory Club has also now become involved with ‘Heart for Art', an initiative run by CrossReach, for those living with dementia and their families to take part in therapeutic art classes.
To do this the Club applied to the Community Fund of the National Lottery and has now been awarded two years' of funding to run ‘Heart for Art' sessions on the first and third Wednesday of the month.
Dr Paterson said he was "delighted" that the hard work of those involved with the Memory Club had been recognised:
"Strathaven Memory Club has proved to be a wonderful resource for the community.
"It has been very rewarding to see it become an established group that is now launching a ‘Heart for Art' project.
"I am delighted that the Provost and South Lanarkshire Council have recognised the positive contribution of the many helpers and volunteers who have established and developed the Memory Club from a small idea to the successful support group it has become."
