Sporting Memories at Broadhurst Park

You won’t find many people who understand the importance of Sporting Memories as well as Des Gallagher. A founding member of FC United, Des has given his time to the club in all sorts of ways over the years – working on committees, pouring pints behind the bar, and even stewarding on match days. But when his wife fell sick and had a long battle with illness, Des found himself with time alone that he needed to fill.

He started attending Sporting Memories sessions at Broadhurst Park. The group had been running here since 2016, trying to bring people from the local community together to reduce isolation and loneliness. Talking works. And for many of the people attending, including Des, simply knowing there was a place to meet like-minded people every week made the world of difference to their happiness.

Sporting Memories is a national charity, dedicated to bringing older people together with the aim of making a positive difference in their lives by providing them with a welcoming, supportive and structured environment where they can develop confidence to improve their lives for the better. Formed in 2011, the charity now has over 100 clubs running across the UK, bringing people together to talk, listen, or connect through sport and physical activity.

Back at Broadhurst Park, Des understood the significance of the project, and saw opportunities to help more people around Manchester by increasing the profile of the sessions. Leaning on his experience at cricket clubs, and on other committees, Des set about organising some great speakers for the sessions, and increasing the publicity of Sporting Memories around the club.

Des and Dave Riley are now the core organisers of Sporting Memories at Broadhurst park, and things are going from strength to strength. Attendances have tripled to around 25-30 people per week since the first time Des came to a session as a guest, and this is the only Sporting Memories group in the UK that meets every single week. Having welcomed big guest speakers such as Mike Phelan and Laurie Brown, and with more exciting speakers already scheduled (see below), Des firmly believes it’s time to grow this scheme even more.

Des has recently applied for a funding grant which would allow the group to secure even bigger names to speak at the event. Perhaps even more importantly, it will allow them to plan activities further afield, such as trips to football grounds or outdoor locations (such as Styal Country Park) so everybody can get outside together, stretch their legs and enjoy a change of scenery. Should this happen, Des and Dave will be looking for more FC United members to volunteer and help during these trips.

For now, the team have the Sporting Memories sessions on lock down, with some huge sessions to look forward to over the next few months, including:

• 13^th September – David “Bumble” Lloyd
• 27^th September – Mike Phelan
• 11^th October – Laurie Brown
• 1^st November – Co Op Financial Services – Power of Attorney, Wills, Financial Issues to consider in later life

It’s funny how the world works sometimes. Des was recently sat on one of the balconies of Old Trafford Cricket Ground, when he had a tap on the shoulder. The man stood behind Des thanked him, and explained to his friend how attending the sessions at Broadhurst Park had saved his mental health, and even possibly his life. After needing the support from the group himself, Des can now say he’s helping people in the local community to reconnect and turn their lives around. Things have come full circle.

If you, or anyone you know, is interested in attending these sessions, or any other Sporting Memories session, you’ll find the group meeting at 1.30-3.30pm at Broadhurst Park every Friday. More information on the scheme, including who to contact with any questions, can be found here.

Download Sportmemmphelan.jfif