Norrms McNamara: Once upon a time...

One day, a friend asked if her twin daughters could help out at the memory café. They were still at school but so keen to help. Of course, we said yes and along they came and worked so hard.
It wasn’t until later did we find out they were both gymnasts at the local gymnastics club in Torquay and before we knew it, the twins and all their friends came to the café and gave us an incredible display.
It was such a wonderful day watching the youngsters mingle with the elderly and a great time was had by all.
As in life, time moves on and people take different directions. These two wonderful ladies started to grow up and started down their very own life’s path. We have always kept in touch with their mum, so you can imagine how incredibly proud I was to hear that the twins had gone on to work on dementia wards at Torbay Hospital and are still there now, working hard and still helping others.
Did their time volunteering at the Purple Angel dementia memory café when they were younger have any bearing on their choice of jobs in later life? I would like to think so, as not many join the NHS and specifically ask to work on the dementia wards.
Stories like this don’t come along very often but when they do, I believed they should be shared with all.
I am, and have always been, a huge believer in the youth of today. I have seen it week in week out at the memory café when children just like the twins come along and give up their Saturday afternoons just to help others.
We have, of course, rewarded them with Purple Angel dementia ambassador statuses along with certificates and are very proud to do so.
But you don’t have to work in a hospital to become a Purple Angel ambassador. Please contact me if you would like to become one. Working with the youth of today is a very important part of what we do. We have worked with schools, colleges, language schools and the Scouting movement to name but a few over the years and are still in touch with many of them even after all these years, especially the foreign students who we gave references to for job interviews along with Duke of Edinburgh candidates.
If anybody reading this would like to involve their students in our memory café, please come along and see us between 1.30pm and 3.30pm on a Saturday - except the first Saturday of the month - or email me on norrms@gmail.com
Till next time...