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Capturing the local community in Cwmbran

One of the strengths of Sporting Memories Clubs across Wales is their ability to develop a spirit of friendship and community between members, with this certainly being true of our Club in Cwmbran. 

Launched in May 2021 at Cwmbran Rugby Club with the support of Dragons Community, the Club has seen a rapid growth in members, mainly thanks to the efforts of Club Facilitator Ian Evans (second from left in image above) and his band of brilliant volunteers.

To start his chat with the Sporting Memories website, Ian referenced the Club’s growth since it began.

“We set the group up around three years ago now, mainly because we were aware that many older people had spent a lot of time at home as a result of Covid and the lockdowns and may have felt lonely and isolated.

“We wanted to reach out to them and try something different away from the normal matchday rugby activities at the rugby club, as this fitted in with the wider community ethos the rugby club itself.”

“For our first meeting we had four people turn up and now we’ve got in the region of around 35 people who turn up regularly. Such has been the popularity of it that we’ve had to open another session during the week, so that we can cope with increasing demand.”

Bonds built at the Club

For Ian, the success of the Club has been down to the bonds that Club members and volunteers have made during their weekly sessions at the rugby club, which in turn has helped members become more confident.

“I think there has been a desire for people to come along and make friendships and also have that contact with others locally.

“Whilst we obviously focus on sport, our philosophy is inclusivity and we usually end up talking about everything and anything All we want is to do as many people as possible at the session to contribute.”

“For me, what the members get is that opportunity to have a chat with people they know or don’t and eventually also create friendships too. From my experience they seem to respond really well to those opportunities, where perhaps in the past they may have been shy and retiring, but gradually we’ve been able to bring them out of their shells which ultimately gets a greater contribution from them for the sessions.”

Connection with the local community

A big part of the Cmwbran sessions is the connection with the local community - be it through the regulars who attend each week - but also the local services who have interacted with the group to share their stories and guidance to Club members.

“We’ve engaged quite a lot with other organisations during our time to help with the connection to the local community, but to also enable members to understand more about what’s going on in the area and some of the support they can access too. For example, we’ve had the Fire Service visit us all the way through to disability support groups – essentially, anyone that has a relevance to the lives of our members or sharing important information has been invited in to come in and engage with the group.”

“We have been very well supported (by the local authority and services) and have had a lot of individuals referred to the Club, including those who have care needs, so it shows we’re doing something great to help older people in Cwmbran.”

Support of volunteers

All of our Clubs across Wales and beyond wouldn’t be able to run without the incredible support of volunteers who give up their time to run sessions every week. And Cwmbran have been able to recruit plenty of volunteers, thanks to the warm nature of the Club.

“We had an established group of five volunteers about 12 months ago, but we’ve been able to get five more in the past year to lend a hand. It’s a very friendly group and I think that has helped get more volunteers and also make it a space where people want to come back to regularly. A lot of the volunteers have come along to see a session and then decided to latch on and support in any way they can.

“They can vary in their support – from making the teas and coffees to helping those in wheelchairs get around the venue – but everything they do is helpful and to the benefit of everyone there.”

Finally, it was left to Ian to summarise how the Club has developed a group which is beneficial to all that attend.

“While we obviously focus on sport, we usually end up talking about everything and anything, playing different sports and doing some physical activity, which can help to stimulate memories and conversation that help people to bond and reminisce. All we want is to get as many people at the session to contribute as possible – which they do.”

The Cwmbran Clubs are open on Tuesdays and Fridays with the support of Dragons Community. To find out more about the sessions, please contact karen.burgess@dragonsrugby.wales