Julian Garman – 25th May 2026

The heat is on! It was the hottest May day on record and Julian was back with us. Though numbers were down compared to normal, the group still had a good turn out with 30 members coming along to see their friends.

Despite the heat Julian’s performance was as full on as usual and he played a great selection of tunes especially ones that were likely to get people singing along as it was a bit hot for dancing. Today several people took the opportunity to sit outside in the shade of the building and join in the singing from there.

Dave’s bingo group continues to be popular. Eyes down for a full house!

We now have several couples with young onset dementia among our members. It was a pleasure to welcome back Kelly, the young onset nurse and Lore her team member, who came along to see how the young people were getting on. Kelly said about the group – “The energy and vibrancy your group offers is phenomenal and is exactly what people want.”

The dancing may have been less than usual, however, when Julian played New York, New York it brought people to the dance floor.

Getting to know Team Member Helen

Helen loves to be active. She enjoys yoga, walking, running, and ballroom and latin American dancing with husband and team member Tony. She enjoys kayaking when on holiday in Greece. More relaxing activities are reading, doing puzzles and listening to her Playlist.

Helen enjoys the company of others, meeting up with friends, ex colleagues and former college friends. She also enjoys the company of her 3 grandchildren.

When she was working Helen was a special needs teacher who specialised in dyslexia.

The Reflections Friendship Group is next at Shrewsbury House on 9th June 2026 at 1pm when Mark will entertain us.

Please note: in our uploaded photos we blur the faces of all group members. You do see the faces of our wonderful volunteers.

Mark Sedgwick – 25th November 2025

Another great afternoon with Mark warming up the room.

Christmas came early, with lots of our favourite seasonal tunes.

We were pleased to welcome Jen, the Older People’s engagement lead from Oxleas, and welcome back Gill from the University of Greenwich who has visited us a few times.

Bingo is becoming more popular every week. Regular bingo caller Dave was not able to attend today so elf Tony was happy to step in and get involved.

The Creative Companion Collaborations massage team returned to provide hand, back and even one head massage. This time we had three lovely ladies who came along. Members said how much they enjoyed having a massage.

Once Mark got going the dance floor was packed and the singing loud.

As is tradition with the penultimate session of the year, it was elf week. Our team of wonderful elves did a great job keeping everything running smoothly and bringing enthusiasm and energy to the afternoon. The elves also check if group members have been good this year. Of course, they all have.

Team member highlight

Introducing Pearl. Pearl is our Health & Safety lead. She likes to ensure things run smoothly and she does this very well. She ensures group members register with her at each session and issues them with their name badges. She also ensures the chairs are set out to accommodate everyone including dedicated spaces for our wheelchair users.

The Reflections Friendship Group is next at Shrewsbury House on 9th December 2025 at 1pm when Vikki will entertain us with a Christmas Party performance.

Please note: in our uploaded photos we blur the faces of all group members. You do see the faces of our wonderful volunteers.

Mark Sedgwick – 10th June 2025

Two sessions in a row from our ever popular crooner.

Mark saves the day! He stepped-in at the last moment, when our booked entertainer was unwell.

Group members continue to show how creative they are under the guidance of Dave.

Everyone enjoyed the singing and dancing in the second hour.

We thank all our wonderful volunteers this Volunteers week: Dot, Lynne, Pearl, Dave, Janet, Helen, Tony, Lucia, Gyda and Ann. Mary, Marilyn and Peter missed this session, but we thank them too. (Mark photobombed the photo).

Team member highlight

Introducing Pearl, our health and safety lead. Pearl is responsible for checking in people into our register, so we have a record of people at the sessions. This is essential in case of a fire and for our statistics.

The Reflections Friendship Group is next at Shrewsbury House on 24th June 2025 at 1pm. Julian will entertain us.

Please note: in our uploaded photos we blur the faces of all group members. You do see the faces of our wonderful volunteers.

Mark Sedgwick – 27th May 2025

Mark warmed up the group on a rainy day.

We all sang along to some great tunes.

Searching out the missing letters to make a name badge is always a challenging though fun activity. The badges help us to know who we all are.

Today, we were delighted to welcome back Professor Andrew with his colleague Gill from the University of Greenwich. As part of the Institute for Lifecourse Development’s overseas work, they brought along Purity who is setting up a dementia group in Kenya and is interested in comparing how people in the UK with dementia are treated compared to Kenya. It was a chance for us to showcase to Purity the work we do and share ideas. She enjoyed her visit and told us at the end what a joyous atmosphere could be felt at the group.

After their visit we were so pleased to receive an email from Andrew with the following comment “Thank you so much for inviting us to Reflections this week and making us feel so welcome.  It was lovely to visit again, catch up with people, and see the fantastic activities, friendships and support you and the volunteers continue to facilitate.  Reflections is such a vital way of ensuring people impacted by dementia – including care partners and family members – can remain connected and engaged.”

We do what we do to make a difference to the lives of people living in Greenwich with dementia and their family. To receive such a comment like this from a professional is a wonderful bonus. Thank you Andrew.

A big turn-out gave us a packed dance floor. More fun and enjoyment in 2 weeks time.

The Reflections Friendship Group is next at Shrewsbury House on 10th June 2025 at 1pm. Jamie will be hosting his Best of British Show.

Please note: in our uploaded photos we blur the faces of all group members. You do see the faces of our wonderful volunteers.