Sofa Club meets every third Thursday of the month at Pant Memorial Hall as a space for people with dementia and other conditions affecting memory to meet up and enjoy a chat and refreshments – naturally friends, family and carers are all equally welcome.
The Sofa Club exists to provide local people with an opportunity to socialise and past activities have included visits from local schoolchildren, community carols, craft making and board games. But organisers stress that it isn’t just restricted to those living with dementia, anyone can come along.
Said Lizzie Lawrence, organiser of the club: “We are aiming to provide an opportunity for people to get out of the house and meet other people in a friendly environment. We know that memory loss can be very frightening to many people and often people lose the confidence to socialise. That’s where Sofa Club comes in.”
Guests are welcome to attend from across the Pant and Llanymynech area as well as from farther afield. Sofa Club comes under the umbrella of Dementia Friendly Churches, which is a country-wide, non-denominational organisation.
There are no charges for attending but organisers welcome donations to help improve the service for the future.
Sofa Club is also always on the lookout for new volunteers to help with organising sessions, whether that be making tea and coffee, helping set up the room for visitors or just having a friendly chat.
Added Lizzie: “Our Sofa Club provides a time to meet in a quiet, safe space where those living with dementia can feel welcome. Why not pop in and see what it’s all about?
“And if you are a local business or organisation that would like to help us reach more people locally, I’d love to talk to you about ways your help could have a real impact on people’s lives.”
If you would like to find out more, just come along to the next Sofa Club – details on the hall website https://pantmemorialhall.org.uk/calendar
