Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation along with Middlesbrough FC hosted its first ever Dementia Friendly afternoon dance at the Riverside Stadium today, as part of the Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough initiative.
Over 40 invited guests comprising those living with dementia and their carers from the Middlesbrough community enjoyed an afternoon boogie, a Boro themed quiz and they even had a visit from club mascot Roary the Lion.
Helena Bowman Head of Foundation said: “As a community club we wanted to allow the people from the Middlesbrough Community living with dementia the opportunity to come to the Riverside in a safe but engaging environment. To see so many happy smiling faces in the Legends Lounge today dancing and singing along to the music shows us how much of an impact an event such as this can have on people living with dementia.” She continued: “Having seen first-hand the benefits of such a simple but effective event we have agreed to run a Dementia Friendly afternoon dance monthly for the foreseeable future.”
Brian Rowcroft, Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough Business Engagement Lead for Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough Project, said: “It was an outstanding event to launch what we hoped would be a series of afternoon dances enjoyed by people living with dementia and their carers in Middlesbrough.
“The benefits of dancing and music are well known for people living with dementia to help them stay active and re-establish memories. Many people danced when they were young, so the music played today provided an opportunity to relive those past experiences while enjoying themselves.
“The icing on the cake was hearing that MFC Foundation and Middlesbrough FC have agreed to host this every month moving forward.”
