My personal motivations

The most rewarding aspect of my work setting up and running Memory Lane Café has been spending time at the café with the team, volunteers and our visitors. As the visitor numbers began to grow, it became clear that we were helping to create something really valuable, a community of people going through similar experiences where they can feel safe, escape the normal routines of life and take part in the activities on offer. Everyone who comes together each Wednesday benefits in some way, including our volunteers, without whom we would have been unable to run the sessions.

The concept for the café grew out of discussions with Professor Kate Owen, Director of Medical Studies and fellow medical students. We wanted to explore the possibility of setting up a community group that could support people’s health and wellbeing, especially in the context of coming towards the end of the Covid-19 pandemic where loneliness and social isolation had increased. Due to considerations about local area need and our own personal experiences, we decided to create a Memory café for older adults experiencing memory loss and their families.

My top 3 tips for students

• My first tip for someone considering getting more involved in voluntary work or perhaps setting up something new would be to go for it! You never know where the opportunities will take you and it might just be one of your highlights from your time at university! As well as the intrinsic value of volunteering and the support you will give to others, volunteering helps you to develop skills in various areas, make friends with people with shared interests and maybe even uncover a future career avenue not thought of before.
• Tip number two is to utilise and create a support network for the project. There are so many departments, teams and staff members at the university who are experts; they have the skills and experience necessary and will be happy to support or advise you.I have been amazed at how much charity and community work goes on at the university and how many dedicated staff members and departments support or lead this work.
• My last tip is to get involved in something that you feel passionate about, it won’t feel like an effort or additional work, and you will find it immensely rewarding. It will be a break from your studies that re-energises you and makes a positive impact!

Support and recognition from Warwick

There has been an incredibly positive and supportive response from the University with regards to the memory café and this has been crucial in enabling us to set up and establish the project. Professor Kate Owen has been instrumental in the creation of the café and supporting us with funding applications. We have been fortunate to be able to build links with various departments within the university including The Warwick Institute of Engagement.

We are also a Warwick Volunteers project which means students from across the university are able to get involved and volunteer with us while building skills and gaining recognition for their voluntary work. Warwick Volunteers are also very kindly supporting Memory Lane Café financially next academic year and have helped us with advertising the volunteering opportunity to students.

The university press team also recognised our work, which led to the cafe being featured on BBC Midlands Today, helping us to reach a wider audience by raising awareness of the café.

My highlights

There have been so many highlights of my time at Warwick it took me a little while to choose. Studying graduate entry medicine here had been my dream for so long. For this reason, I would have to say the highlight of my four years here was graduation day, it was an amazing celebration of all our achievements over not just our time at the university of Warwick but also the journey it took us all to get here.

As well as graduating as a doctor, it was incredible and humbling to receive an OSCA and WAPACE award at the ceremony, recognising my voluntary work for Memory Lane Café. It was a great honour to be recognised for this project and I am grateful to those who nominated me and to everyone that has supported Memory Lane Café and continues to do so.