November 2019

One year of Meet & Make!
Mandy Durkin
We began in Aug 2018 with the hope that we could help people living with dementia
by offering free crafting classes, where people could go to chat and be creative in
a safe, friendly place. 1 year on we are running 4 classes in Peebles and Innerleithen
and making a big difference to the people we work with.
In St Ronan's Care home, Mandy and Grace work with 6 ladies around 2 small
tables in the lounge area. The ladies are always very curious to see what they have
brought along and Mandy and Grace help them to try out new materials. The ladies
are always pleased to have something to take and show to their families when they
visit.
In Riverside House, Mandy, Janet and Grace hold the class around 1 big table in
the big dining room overlooking the river. They normally have 8 ladies for this class
and everyone is very vocal and there are lots of laughs about what they are doing.
The ladies are always pleased to have achieved something by the end of the class
and asking what they will be doing next time.
At Dovecot Court, Mandy, Janet, Eileen, and Jean run a class of around 8 people in
the lounge area. This is another class full of laughs as people have a go at
something new.
Our final class is at Peebles Community Centre, where Mandy, Janet and Eileen help
3 or 4 couples who are coping with the complications of living with dementia. This
is a small, quiet group who have got to know each other by sharing everyday
problems and events as the year has gone by and become good friends.
In the classes Mandy has used materials that are bright, tactile and light so they
are easier to see and handle. This is because people have a mix of health problems
with their sight, hearing, dexterity, thought processing and memory and we want
them to be able to do as much for themselves as possible. Everyone is delighted to
be able to take something home to show their families and there are lots of smiles
at the end.
Care home staff, family members and carers have all said they think the classes
make a difference to people's quality of life and that's what we were aiming for.
We believe Meet and Make's first year has been a great success and plan to continue
making a difference for as long as we can secure funding. We would like to thank
everyone involved in this project for all their support.
Could you help with this project?
If you can spare just 1 afternoon a month it would really help. You don't have to
have any arts experience to join in and its time well spent.
Do you have any old crafts equipment or materials hidden in the loft!
Please think of us before throwing out fabric, ribbon, card, paint, scissors or any
other materials.
Please contact Mandy Durkin on 07958158181 if you can help.