As part of the Watford FC Community Sports & Education Trust’s 30-year anniversary celebrations, a series of accounts from staff, volunteers, partners and participants have been compiled in the ‘30 Stories for 30 Years’ publication, that also includes the annual Impact Report for 2022.
All of the stories, and the Impact Report, can be viewed online HERE. Should you wish to request a hard copy, please email kristian.hitchins@watfordfc.com.
Next up is the story of Rodney Kipps, to coincide with World Alzheimer’s Month...
Rodney spent his life supporting others, but when he was diagnosed with dementia, it was time for others to support him.
There’s an extensive list of people and charities that have benefited from Rodney over the years; from supporting blind students at Chorleywood College to volunteering for League of Friends in the hospital for 25 years.
He was even invited to the Buckingham Palace garden party as a celebration of his charitable work. Then the diagnosis came and much to his daughter Claire’s surprise, Rodney self-referred to a reminiscence programme delivered by the Trust - Golden Memories.
“He signed up to it himself – [I] never thought he would be able to go to something like that,” Claire said.
Claire saw a change in her dad, saying that he used to be a serious man before his dementia, but now he’s a ‘joker’.
As Rodney and his daughters joined the Golden Memories family, they soon began to enjoy the personal time together this programme afforded them.
Claire added: “He always had a smile on his face. He really enjoyed it, it brought him out of himself. [It was] his only respite. [It was] a life away from reality.”
