Mr Simmons said:
"I left the two day Memories FC event filled with hope, the strength and commitment of our partnership and GCU's lead role in developing the Knowledge Exchange Partnership is an example of what it truly means to face dementia together. I was also so inspired by the commitment and dedication of all the mental health students whose volunteer efforts made the event possible. I was able to talk to many of them during the event and I was very impressed by their attitude towards working with people with dementia and by the depth of their understanding, receiving a cheque for over £700 from the students fundraising activities was pretty much the icing on the cake and I want to express my most sincere gratitude to all of them for this. These funds will go to directly support the delivery of the Football Memories project which is run entirely from fundraised donations like this.
However perhaps the most inspiring memory and thought I will be left with is the memory of a room filled with people with dementia, some of them with their families, many others supported by professional carers but all of them collectively sharing in the wonderful memory of football, right in the heart of the home of our national game. That collective moment will last for me for long time, for in that moment we all forgot about dementia and remembered people. I cannot thank the team at GCU enough for organising this event it was wonderful."
Memories FC is a knowledge exchange partnership between GCU, Alzheiemer Scotland, The Scottish Football Museum, UWS, St Louis University and The European Former Players Association. It is funded by AHRC & SFC.
What a great achievement. Well done to everyone involved in the events leading up to Hampden, and those who attended on the days too. Looking around at the reaction of the participants on the Friday was a real joy. All of the hard efforts were certainly very worthwhile.
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