Dementia Friendly

We were delighted to welcome a leadership group from years four and five of the Quilters Junior School RotaKids to our meeting on July 15 at the Beauvoir Arms, Downham.  They were accompanied by Head Teacher Michael Wade and Maureen Lee, who works with the RotaKids and gives all her time voluntarily.
How were they chosen?  All had volunteered, had their names put in a hat and then these were the lucky four: Charlie Littles and Darcey Williams from Year 5, and Sophia Moran and Elliott McCarthy from year 4.

So Impressive

As for Buttsbury, the Quilters RotaKids were delighted to receive copies of our June Newsletter which featured a report of their receipt of the Rotary Presidential Citation at the school Assembly a few weeks earlier, for the second year in a row.

The children were only small, but you would hardly believe it by the way they consumed all their food.  Four children and four very empty plates!  Meal over, and to allow them to get back to school in plenty of time, they stepped forward to make their presentation, taking it in turns to do the talking, starting with Charlie Littles.

Role Models

The RotaKids are the School Council and each member has to make a presentation of why they wanted to serve before beings elected by their class.  Mrs. Lee works with them to help them to:

• Be good representatives of their class
• Listen to others’ ideas
• Develop skills and confidence for public speaking
• Take action as “Dementia Friends” in the community

In particular they strive to be role models

• Being kind and patient
• Working well in teams
• Giving support and being empathetic
• Having pride in whatever they do
• Developing their resilience and self-belief through self-care
• Supporting people with dementia in the community, as well as their families and friends.

Most importantly, by encouraging other children to follow their example.

So Much Accomplished

What did they do? They helped combat loneliness and dementia in the community by making many older friends at the nearby Care Home, at the Memory Café (the Year 2 children visit there, and residents have come to school), the Men’s Shed (visiting them, and they have come to school).  Not only that, they are all Pen Pals with senior members of our community, and they have formed an inter-generational choir with Pen Pals and Men’s Shed members.

In addition, they held a Dementia Action Week for the whole school, supported Year 2 children who made posters for the High Street, held a Pen Pal tea at which the All-Ages choir sang.  They also visited Basildon Hospital Radio and talked about what they have done.

At Quilters Summer Fete, they ran a stall selling items made at the Men’s Shed which had been painted by them.  Purpose -  to raise funds for the Men’s Shed.

The Humankind Café is a new and a brilliant community café where kindness really matters.  They visit and help there, on several occasions to sing and play their instruments, greet people at the door, take orders and clear away cups, play games with people and chat.  AND … Eat cake and biscuits!

Our guests finished by reciting a poem which we reproduce here:
My eyes do see
My ears do hear
I am still me
So let’s be clear
My memory may fade
My walk may slow
I am still ME inside
Don’t let me go.

An anthem to those suffering from Dementia - we were all very moved.

Very Proud

After some questions from the floor, President-Elect Stephen King thanked them all for this impressive presentation of their accomplishments, and called on Peter Greene to do the vote of thanks.  “What an impressive presentation you gave us” he said,  “We were impressed by last week’s presentation by the Year 6 Buttsbury RotaKids, but just as impressed this week to see the younger year four and five from Quilters give such an accomplished performance with such a professional delivery.  Your school should be very proud of you.”  All present applauded our young presenters.