Pub dementia group struggling to run free regular afternoon meet ups with rising costs

A landlady of a pub in Greater Manchester has said she is struggling to keep up with rising costs as she tries to keep her dementia afternoons running.

Sharon Mattin is the landlady of The Union Arms in Tyldesley, and holds regular fun afternoons for people living with dementia to come and spend some time in good company.

She decided to set-up the monthly afternoons, filled with live entertainment and food, calling it Forgotten Regulars after she had looked after her mum who was diagnosed with the disease.

Sharon’s mum sadly passed away in 2016.

Sharon went on to regularly host Forgotten Regulars at the pub over the next decade, with the tenth anniversary of the event falling on April 9th this year.

She explains: “We started it because people like my mum; I had nowhere to take her, and it was really, really hard. And it was like isolation so we decided we’d form something like this.” 

The group has grown in popularity with people travelling from across town just to enjoy a couple of hours here and have a good laugh.

The pub is situated on a busy bend on a one-way road and as you walk down a slight hill to it, you can hear the buzzing atmosphere in the middle of a weekday from outside on the street.

Upon entering, the place is bustling with an excellent live singer playing music in the corner, and every table is filled with groups of people smiling, singing and dancing.

You wouldn’t know the struggles of many that come here, as they leave it all behind to indulge in a little slice of happiness with the ones they love and care for. When asked who is invited to the afternoons, Sharon says: “Anyone and everyone.”

Customers with dementia, along with their family, friends and carers, all come through her doors, including those who have lost loved ones to the devastating disease. 

It’s a day where people can socialise, remember the good times, share their experiences and know they are not alone. The afternoon lasts a couple of hours or so and guests – around 100 or so – enjoy a cooked meal and dessert with live music, then get up to dance their cares away. 

Sharon says: “They all start coming in – it’s supposed to be half past 12, but they’ve forgotten what time it’s supposed to be, so we start at 12 now.”

On this particular day, Sharon was serving up sausage, mash, peas and gravy with rice pudding and jam for dessert. “Home made, of course,” she says. 

“And, we’ll have a singer for them and we’ll have teas, coffees and we just basically try to make a bit of a difference to peoples’ lives.”

If it’s someone’s birthday, Sharon ensures they are surprised with a cake to celebrate. It’s all free of charge and Sharon has an army of hardworking volunteers who give up their spare time to help her help those in the community.

However, over the last couple of years Sharon has noticed a sharp rise in the costs she pays to run her venue, including energy bills, food and beverages.

As Sharon explains: “For the ten years, we’ve been funding it solely, and we’ve been trying to fundraise, to keep it going.”

But she’s a fighter, and she’s determined to keep Forgotten Regulars going for her customers.

“We’ve sustained it this long, and I don’t give up on things me easily, so somehow we’ll find a way of keeping this going for them,” Sharon adds.

Sharon has now set up a GoFundMe page for those who wish to and can afford to make any kind donation, no matter how small, to help keep Forgotten Regulars running and give those living with dementia in the community a place they can go and be happy.

It gives them something to do; a place where they can dance to music and perhaps even remember.

Marie comes to the afternoon every month with her dad, Ron. They started coming before Covid after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Marie says: “My dad can come, he can have a beer, he can have a dance, and I don’t feel there’s any judgement to him.” Other regulars told us the monthly afternoon is the ‘highlight of their month’.

The group also go on trips out to places like Blackpool Ballroom, and hold fun events where they can win prizes, while they share wonderful times with their loved ones, knowing they are surrounded by others who share an understanding of what they are going through.

Sharon and her dementia group Forgotten Regulars has featured on BBC North West Tonight, where they awarded her with a Christmas Star for the kind work she does for those in the community.

Forgotten Regulars is held once a month at the Union Arms in Tyldesley. You can make a donation to the Forgotten Regulars by visiting the group’s GoFundMe page here.