Manchester City and United football legends take part in reminiscence event for people with dementia

Football legends, Lou Macari, former star of Manchester United, Celtic and Scotland and Alex Williams, former Manchester City goalkeeper, took part in a special reminiscence event helping people with dementia reconnect with their footballing memories.

The footballers were guests of honour at The EachStep Blackley Dementia Café, a free monthly event that aims to support people affected by the condition.

They took part in a special reminiscence session led by Colin Bridgford, chief executive of Manchester County FA, looking at the history of the clubs.

They were joined by Sheila Crompton, widow of Manchester United’s legendary goalkeeper and coach, Jack Crompton.

Former Manchester United midfielder, Lou Macari, said: “It was great to visit the dementia café at EachStep Blackley. I really enjoyed talking with guests and reminiscing about games of the past. People enjoyed chatting about the great games of the 1970s and the likes of George Best, Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law. It was a wonderful event to be part of and I hope everyone enjoyed it.”

Alex Williams, former goalkeeper for Manchester City and ambassador for Manchester City’s Foundation, City in the Community, said: “No matter who you support, football has the power to bring people together and that’s what I loved about this event. The reaction from the guests was great and we shared some moments from my playing career but also players such as Colin Bell, Francis Lee, and Mike Summerbee.”

As well as sharing stories from the football club, including tales of playing with and against legends of the game, such as George Best and Francis Lee, the group shared rare and unique footballing memorabilia.

Guests got to hold the Manchester Senior Cup, a trophy dating back to 1885 that was first won by Hurst who defeated Newton Heath LYR, which would later become Manchester United. It is well recognised that reminiscence is fundamental to promoting the wellbeing of people who live with dementia, and for many sports fans their memories of sporting events are amongst their most vivid.

Michelle Phillips, manager of EachStep Blackley, says, “Football is so important to people in Manchester, so there are few better topics for us to cover at our Dementia Cafe. We were delighted to welcome Lou and Alex, as well as Colin and Shelia, to what was a fantastic event.”

Colin Bridgford, chief executive of Manchester FA, found it was an emotional time for some at the event, who played football in their younger lives, or watched their football heroes every weekend.

“It was great to see people’s treasured memories come flooding back, and to hear them talk about what Manchester United and Manchester City means to them. At Manchester FA, we are committed to giving back to the local community. It showed football can break down barriers and make a difference, and has been truly inspirational,” he said.

The event was created with the support of Dr Annabel Kiernan, director at the Centre for the Study of Football and its Communities at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The EachStep Blackley Dementia Café is a free monthly event that offers people who live with the condition, and their loved ones, a fun and informal place to share their experiences, receive expert advice and relax. It takes place on the second Wednesday of each month, from 11am-1pm, and is completely free and open to the whole community.

EachStep Blackley is part of the national social care charity, Community Integrated Care, which delivers specialist residential and nursing dementia care.

click here for more details or to contact Community Integrated Care