Another week, another Meeting Centre visit

After our recent visit to the Meeting Centres in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, we were delighted to have the opportunity to visit the Malvern Link Meeting Centre. Based in the Link Room at St Matthias Church, Malvern, the Meeting Centre is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Although Dr Shirley Evans and Jen Bray had both been to the Meeting Centre before, it was the first time they’d visited since Es Hoyle had taken over as manager. It was also their first opportunity to meet Es in person, so it was lovely to sit and have a proper catch up about how things were going before the Meeting Centre opened for the day.

It was a very relaxed morning with Es and her volunteers welcoming people and getting some group discussions going. Tea and coffee were plentiful, and members enjoyed some jam tarts made the previous day during a Valentine’s Day baking session. Es had planned a hearty soup for lunch, but the celeriac and onion needed to be prepared. A member and volunteer made short work of these, peeling and chopping away, and quickly reducing them to manageable chunks ready for cooking. The smell of the soup bubbling away filled the air as different games and activities took place, and when it was ready everyone sat together and tucked in, with the soup being accompanied by some lovely bread that had been donated earlier in the day. Even those who had brought their own sandwiches looked like they’d been tempted to have some soup as well.

Shirley and Jen had to leave at lunchtime, which was a shame as we think they were looking forward to seeing ‘Mr Charisma’ who was coming in to provide some singing entertainment that afternoon. According to a board that Es had set up to advertise future activities, seated curling and a putting green would be available the following week – along with some very tasty food options – leaving Shirley and Jen to wonder if a repeat visit might be possible…!

Thanks to Es and everyone at the Malvern Link Meeting Centre for hosting and making us feel very welcome.

Follow @MeetingCentres on twitter to keep up to date with all things Meeting Centre related.

Author: Association for Dementia Studies

We are a multi-professional group of educationalists, researchers and practitioners who are expert in the field of person-centred dementia care and support. Our aim is to make a substantial contribution to building evidence-based practical ways of working with people living with dementia and their families that enables them to live well. We do this primarily through research, education and consultancy.

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