Newcastle United legend Bob Moncur brought smiles to the faces of elderly sports fans during a trip to the Dunston branch of Sporting Memories. Moncur was invited along to the weekly session at St Nicholas Church Hall, where he shared tales from his time playing and captaining Newcastle, including being part of the team that lifted the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969.
Sporting Memories is a charity and social enterprise which supports older people with their physical and mental well-being through sports reminiscence and inclusive activities.
Moncur , a big supporter of the charity, also got stuck into the sporting pursuits on offer and joined members for a game of New Age Kurling in a fun but competitive environment.
It was the Newcatle United ambassador's second Sporting Memories visit following a recent trip to St James’ Park, where he acted as a tour guide for members from the Dunston club. They were invited along for a behind-the-scenes peek around the stadium and also watched the Magpies’ Premier League clash with Leicester City thanks to Sportsbreaks.com.
Speaking about his time at the Dunston club, Bob reflected: “It’s been an absolute pleasure and I’m always thrilled to get invited along to sessions like this with Sporting Memories.
“I’m going away from this with a really nice feeling after chatting with the group about times gone by. It’s also been very well organised and you can tell the people who come along get a real enjoyment from being part of this.”
Chris Wilkins, Co-Founder and CEO of Sporting Memories, was also in attendance at the session in and was delighted to welcome Moncur along.
“We were thrilled to welcome Bob to our club in Dunston following his time with some of the members at St James’s Park in May," he said. “Bob seemed to be delighted that a few of the members recognised him and he spoke brilliantly about his career as well as enjoying the Kurling that was put on by our volunteers. A huge thank you to Bob and Newcastle United for making the session possible.”
Sporting Memories is always looking to expand its network of clubs and would like to hear from individuals or organisations who would be interested in creating clubs across Tyneside and the North East. To find out how, get in touch with Sporting Memories via contact@sportingmemories.uk or visit www.sportingmemories.uk
To find out more about the Dunston club, please contact James Fellows on james.fellows1@nhs.net
Moncur is an ambassador for Newcastle United and regularly supports community-led activity run by the club and the Newcastle United Foundation. He regularly attends the club’s monthly Memory Cafe at St. James' Park, designed to support people living with Dementia as well as those who are lonely or isolated. You can find out more on the Memory Café here.
