The Fitwise CSR Group Visits the Memory Café

At Christmas, Fitwise staff raised £315 by raffling off various Christmas presents that were kindly donated to us by some individuals and companies we work with. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) group decided the raffle was a good way of fairly distributing the gifts whilst raising money for a worthy cause.

The CSR Group agreed to donate the money to a local charity that means a great deal to Fitwise staff members. We decided that the Memory Cafés, which are run by Alzheimer Scotland, would be a great charity to donate this to because they operate locally and regularly throughout West Lothian, helping individuals who have dementia and their families and carers.

The project lead from the Memory Cafés advised us on some items they could use from the money raised. These items included: games, jigsaws and picture books. These were from a specialist website which sells items directly aimed at helping those with dementia and similar conditions.

On Thursday 7th March, Erin, Claire, MaryAnn and Neil visited the Livingston café to present the items bought and spend time chatting with people who regularly attend the cafés and meeting with the volunteers. It was wonderful for us to get a chance to see how the money we raised has been used and to see the great work the Memory Cafés do.

Upon our arrival at the café, the volunteers for Alzheimer Scotland were so welcoming. We sat at the table with the café attendees and enjoyed chatting with them over tea and cakes. It was clear to see that the volunteers and attendees alike were very appreciative of our attendance on that day. It was also clear for us to see how dedicated the volunteers are in providing great support for the attendees by arranging a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

As everyone was sat around the same table, it allowed for easy socialising and created a comfortable and informal environment. We were able to have a chat with a man whose wife of many years suffers from Dementia. The man, who is in his eighties, drives himself and his wife down to the Borders or up North on weekends as he tries to take his wife away every month to give them both a break from the day-to-day struggles. He spoke so highly of the volunteers at the Memory Cafés and told us what a great job they do in supporting him and his wife. He said that the Cafés break up their day and allows the couple to socialise with other couples who are in similar situations. In fact, they had already been to another Café in the morning, and then came over to join us in Livingston in the afternoon.

Not only do these cafés benefit sufferers from Dementia by allowing them to socialise with other people going through a similar situation and gaining support from the volunteers, they also have great benefits for their carers, as it gives them a chance to relax for an hour and also receive support and advice from the volunteers and other attending carers.

As we were leaving we were given a card from the attendees of the café thanking us for our donation. The card had been hand-made by one of the café volunteers, and is now on display in the reception area at the Fitwise office.

We all felt that our visit was a wonderful opportunity for us to see how the money we raised is being used. It is great to know that the items we have donated are helping to provide some relief to families who are affected by Dementia. It was clear what a great job the volunteers at these cafés do and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

To find out more about Alzheimer’s Society and the Memory Cafés, click here