Royal Victoria Hospital Meeting Centre

08/06/2026

Volunteer Recognition for The Clubbie Meeting Centre at Royal Victoria Hospital 🎉

We are incredibly proud to share that The Clubbie Meeting Centre at Royal Victoria Hospital has been awarded a Certificate of Recognition during Volunteers' Week 2025 in recognition of the valuable contribution our volunteers make to the Dundee community.

The award was presented at a Volunteer Recognition Celebration hosted by Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action (DVVA) at Just Bee, St Paul's Church, Dundee. The event brought together around 20 organisations and groups, all of whom rely on the generosity, dedication and compassion of volunteers to support their work.

We were delighted that two of our volunteers, Marie and Wendy, attended the celebration on behalf of The Clubbie. Both spoke warmly about their experiences of volunteering with us and the friendships, purpose and sense of community they have found through their involvement.
Needless to say, the whole team was delighted to receive this recognition. It reflects the commitment of all our volunteers, whose kindness, enthusiasm and support help make The Clubbie a welcoming and meaningful place for people living with dementia and their families.
A huge thank you to every volunteer who gives their time, energy and heart to our Meeting Centre. This award belongs to all of you.

04/06/2026

On this coming Saturday, Graham Galloway and W***y Gilder along with BAFTA winning film maker, Ian Bustard who directed The Demented Poets, Caught In This Moment of Time and the The-F-Ward (trailer) will be speaking at this screening of our "Demented Cinema" films in Glasgow, celebrating the life and work of our late founding partner, Ron Coleman.

The screening is part of the Wee Dementia Film Festival and a month of events during Dementia Fest 2026 in the West End of Glasgow, organised by Arvind Salwan.

Book tickets at the link below and also look out for screenings by Playlist for Life and The Scottish Government Rethink Dementia campaign films.

A special screening of three curated films followed by a Q&A with BAFTA-winning film-maker Ian Bustard

29/05/2026

Dundee United Community Trust continue to enhance their support for people living with dementia and their care partners.

A new Meeting Centre will launch soon and we are inviting everyone to come along and join us in co-developing this together and create a place for families to adjust to the changes that dementia may bring.

A place to benefit from peer support, access advice and actively shape a programme of meaningful activities chosen by members to suit their interests and needs.

Book your place now by emailing Lisa Croll, Head of Operations - [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you there and hearing all your thoughts and ideas!

20/05/2026

(Sun 24 May: 2pm) Ever since the first tale was told, ravens have strutted their way through myth and legend - Odin himself had two pet ravens called Hugin a

25/04/2026

It’s was another uplifting and meaningful week at The Clubbie Meeting Centre recently, supporting people living with dementia to connect, engage, and enjoy each day 💚

We welcomed new faces and continue to grow our community, with 16 members and 20 attendances across the week. It’s been fantastic to see both ward and community members coming together in such a positive and supportive environment.

✨ This week’s theme: Getting to Know You / Spring / Greenhouse / Food
Our activities reflected the season of growth and connection, including:

🌼 Greenhouse visits and planting
🌱 Making wildflower seed bombs
🎈 Parachute and balloon tennis
🥁 Drumming circle
🎲 Games like dominoes and snakes & ladders
🎶 Music, dancing, and conversation groups

These activities aren’t just fun, they support wellbeing, confidence, communication, and gentle physical activity, while creating opportunities for laughter, reminiscence, and friendship.

💬 Moments that made the week special:
4 new members settled in beautifully, bringing stories, music, and lots of smiles.

One member delighted everyone with his spontaneous performance of “The Wonder of You” 🎤

Members shared memories, danced together, and even planned ahead for a blooming wildflower garden 🌸

There was plenty of laughter during games and genuine connection over a cuppa and chat which continued back on the ward.☕

As always, our team ensured everyone felt supported. Whether through group activities or one-to-one time, each member’s needs and preferences are respected which helps to create a safe and welcoming space.

This reflects several of the 11 essential features of a Meeting Centre in practice. Our team’s flexibility shows the value of skilled and knowledgeable staff who can recognise when something isn’t working for an individual and respond appropriately in the moment.

It also highlights our commitment to person-centred support, understanding that each member has unique preferences, abilities, and emotional needs, and ensuring these are respected at all times.

By offering a range of activities and options to engage, we create community-led environment, where members can choose how they participate, whether that’s joining in, observing, or taking time out.

This approach supports dignity, choice, and wellbeing, ensuring every member can experience the Clubbie in a way that feels comfortable and meaningful to them.

🌟 The impact seen, felt and shared with us:
Improved mood, social connection, confidence, and moments of pure joy, something we see and enjoy most days at The Clubbie.
We’re so proud of the community we’re building together 💚

18/03/2026

The Clubbie Meeting Centre – Spring Week Highlights! 🌼

What a wonderful week we’ve had at The Clubbie, celebrating Spring and International Women’s Day!
Our members took part in a variety of uplifting and engaging activities from a music quiz and conversation group to Boccia, dominoes, and even an adaptive cycling talk and try session. The energy, laughter, and teamwork throughout the week were brilliant to see!

These sessions brought so many positive moments - boosting confidence, sparking conversation, encouraging gentle physical activity, and reminding everyone that staying active and connected is possible and enjoyable at every stage. It was heart-warming to see friendships grow and smiles all around as members supported one another and celebrated small victories together.

Thank you to everyone who joined in and helped make this week so special. Here’s to more fun, friendship, and new experiences at The Clubbie! 🌻

16/03/2026

Members at The Clubbie Meeting Centre are getting involved in the Climate Wisdom Project, showing that people living with dementia can play a role in caring for the environment.

Climate Wisdom is 5 year partnership project, between Outside The Box Development, Heriot Watt University, University of York and Stockholm Environment Institute, the first of it's kind where people living with dementia and families are demonstrating the contributions and value they can bring to climate change. Discussions that older people are too often left out of as a report by Heriot Watt Researchers found in Healthy Ageing In a Changing Climate.

Recently the members have been preparing their greenhouse, planting herbs and edible flowers, and transplanting daffodils into recycled pots decorated by members.

They’ve also started a community blanket, reusing wool from old knitted items, inspired by memories of “make do and mend”.

In April, the group will host a Daffodil Tea to share their Climate Wisdom activities with families, staff and visitors.

Shared Wisdom, Small actions, Shared together, Make a big difference.

13/02/2026

13/02/2026

January began quietly, but momentum began to build quickly again across the wards. Referrals are increasing, and while we’ve faced a couple of challenges supporting individuals to attend, the overall engagement and energy within the group has been encouraging.

A huge amount of respect going out to Centre Manager, Fiona Barrett team members, Pam & Janis and all the volunteers for working across some tricky systems and pushing forward in this Test of Change project for Meeting Centres to bring both clinical and social models of care together for the benefit of the people they are supporting.

Here are the key highlights, in numbers, from January 2026:

* 11 referrals received
* 2 referrals did not attend
* 1 referral where physical needs could not be met
* 4 members discharged home
* 1 discharged to respite
* 1 discharged to a care home
* 17 total members (including 5 community members)
* 51 attendances across the month
Behind every number here is a story of connection, encouragement, and progress.

January was full of meaningful, therapeutic and joyful moments. Members took part in:
* Daily horoscope readings
* Taking down Christmas decorations together
* Reminiscence sessions about New Year traditions and home cooking
* Planning our upcoming Clubbie Cookbook
* A fiercely competitive domino league
* Physical games: bowling, bean bag bullseye, parachute games and balloon tennis
* Cognitive activities: alphabet challenges, “Who Am I?” music quizzes, Scottish and Burns-themed quizzes, word searches and local dialect sessions
* Burns Day preparations including poems, songs and a mini Burns Supper celebration
* A special visit from therapy owls
* Poetry reading and shared turn-taking sessions
* Weekly communication group sessions with Speech & Language Therapy
* Early discussions around spring planting and potential involvement in a climate-focused community project
The balance of physical activity, cognitive stimulation, reminiscence, creativity and conversation continues to support both wellbeing and confidence.

One of the most powerful outcomes this month is about re-connection.
We saw members:
* Return after the festive break expressing how much they had missed attending
* Move from initial low mood or agitation to actively participating and smiling
* Support one another during games and group tasks
* Demonstrate improved communication through shared reading and structured conversation
* Re-engage with music from their past, sparking memory recall and storytelling
* Build confidence through friendly competition and shared achievement
In some cases, members arrived feeling sore, distracted or worried — yet chose to attend and found that participating helped shift their focus and mood. Even small wins, like answering confidently in a quiz or helping another member during a game, had visible positive effects.

All of this reinforces themes such as:
* Routine matters. Many members expressed how much they had missed attending over the holidays.
* Purposeful activity supports cognition and mood.
* Reminiscence and music remain powerful therapeutic tools.
* Peer connection reduces isolation and builds confidence.
* Even on difficult days, gentle encouragement to attend can make a difference.
While January started slowly, it closed with growing engagement, strong attendance, and clear evidence of impact.
We’re also looking forward to sharing further insight into outcomes and learning, so please look out for the upcoming interim report from the University of Worcester, which will provide independent evaluation findings and emerging impact data. There is joy in reading it

Thank you to the ward teams and our partners who continue to support this work, only with us all working together can these outcomes possible.

31/01/2026

Huge thank you to Karen, Community Champion at Myrekirk Asda Store for the very generous donation to the Clubbie of food items , craft materials and seeds...members are already excited about getting into the greenhouse to plant the seeds ...watch out for progress reports!