We are calling on all supporters, commercial and community partners, friends and family to get behind a fantastic initiative that could deliver £25,000 into a brand new community project.
Ospreys in the Community’s Sporting Memories project has been shortlisted for assistance from the Aviva Community Fund, and for us to unlock the funding we need you to vote now – and get everyone you know to vote also.
You have up to 10 votes each so use them wisely, it only takes a minute - then spread the word.
Your votes can enable Ospreys in the Community to continue impacting positively on the live of people across the region, of all ages and from all backgrounds.
The Aviva Community Fund will finance over 500 projects across four different fund levels and three categories, giving money to communities across the UK.
If the project gets enough votes and wows the judges, it will be in with a chance of getting those much-needed funds.
Voting is open now and closes on Tuesday 20th November 2018.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
We want to use the power of sport and the Ospreys brand to engage with older, socially isolated members of our community across Ospreylia and bring them together to share memories, re-connect and improve / maintain their physical and mental health.
The project will be launched in partnership with Sporting Memories and key local organisations. By partnering with the Charity Sporting Memories, it will enable us to join a national sporting memories network (www.sportingmemoriesnetwork.com).
Sporting Memories have extensive expertise and evidence base in relation to tools and resources that utilise reminiscence and sporting memories as a way to bring people together.
The project will also create many volunteering opportunities for both project participants and the wider community, ensuring that we have a clear intergenerational element to the project.
As well as volunteering, the project will also have clear support for ensuring that older people are able to improve or maintain their physical and mental health, whilst tackling social isolation.
Working with selected partners in the field, we will identify older people who are living with dementia, their carers and peers to create weekly groups for older sports fans in accessible, local venues such as rugby clubs, community centres and leisure facilities.
Sporting memories groups will promote physical and mental wellbeing through fun, stimulating and friendly activities that will help group members to reminisce, and tell their own personal stories of watching or participating in sports, and provide opportunities to try out playing new sports. The project will create a network of groups that are dementia friendly, engaging older people living with dementia and their carers who might otherwise find they become isolated and are no longer engaged with sport or their peers.
Opportunities to reminisce can be therapeutic for people living with dementia and can improve the mood, cognitive ability and well-being of those with mild to moderate dementia.
Monthly meetings of the ‘Supporters Club’ held at the Liberty Stadium and other key locations within the region will provide a forum for carers to also enjoy the activities, gain information from supporting organisations and join with others living with dementia to help shape the groups and develop the projects further.