Rotherham United would like to thank every single person who has been involved in establishing the Millers Memory Club after it celebrated one year of its existence at Friday’s meeting at AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Founded by club legend and Honorary Life President John Breckin, the group is one of the first of its kind within footballing circles in the country and aims to support those suffering with or directly affected by memory-related illnesses by providing a safe and friendly environment for all who attend.
The group has an open-door policy and welcomes faces new and old each month, with the August meet seeing the legendary Dave Watson once again attending alongside his wife Penny, while other former players including Trevor Womble and Mick Leng were also on-hand.
In addition to Millers legends, the group was joined by a hero from down the road at Bramall Lane in Tony Currie, who came along to see what the group was about and to garner ideas to check the viability of whether a similar group could be set up at Sheffield United.
Dave Watson and Tony Currie both graced the international scene for England and were in attendance at the August meet for the Millers Memory Club
The work undertaken by John and a brilliant team of volunteers has seen people from a number of different areas take note, namely the PFA [Professional Footballers' Assocation] who have had representation at almost every meeting to date and have championed the efforts being made by Rotherham United to support fans and former players alike in the various challenges they face as a direct result of memory-related illnesses.
The group has gone from strength-to-strength since its formation with small numbers growing to mean a regular attendance of around 30 people at all of the most recent gatherings in the Community Sports Trust’s Goal Zone.
Through RUCST, the Memory Club has links to a number of experts in the field and has received donations from supporters and local businesses alike, which go towards running costs, taxis for people wishing to attend and moving forwards, excursions for group members.
We are so, so proud of John Breckin and everyone who has put so much into making this an environment in which people can come and escape at least some of the pressures that memory-related illnesses create and we would like to thank every single person who has allowed the Millers Memory Club to become what it is today.