Fulham Football Club’s Craven Cottage hosted the Extra Time ‘The power of Football in Active Ageing’ event on Tuesday 10 May 2011. In celebration of all the work that the Extra Time project has done for the over 55’s, two events were held simultaneously for both the participants of the projects and delegates involved in health, football and over 55’s with the two groups coming together at the end of the day for a question and answer session.
Both the delegates and participants arrived at the same time and were taken into their respective rooms. The Trophy Lounge, where the participants gathered, hosted a 2 course lunch which went down very well with the guests. As too did the Extra Time goody bags which were given to participants on arrival. Some of them commented that the other participants who were not able to make the day would be jealous! In between courses each table had the opportunity to compete in a quiz, which went down to a tie break question for tables 2 and 3 relating to ex Fulham legend George Cohen.
After the meal, the participants were divided into three groups to take part in different activities. One group were in the Cohen Lounge which had been transformed into a games room complete with old favourites such as monopoly, scrabble alongside the more modern Wii console, which was by far the more popular choice with the participants.
The Trophy Room hosted an afternoon of Boccia, stretching and Yoga. Outside, by the side of the stadium a few of the participants took part in a football match. This was supposed to be just a few football drills however the participants came well prepared and changed into their Extra Time t-shirts and requested to play a 5 a-side match. The group, mainly made up of Swindon Town Extra Time participants, thoroughly enjoyed the match and due to some over zealous shots, a total of 3 footballs ended up in the River Thames by the end of the match!
Whilst the participants enjoyed their lunch and the activities, the delegates were in a separate room learning about what the Extra Time programme had achieved. The session was led by Bob Laventure from the British Heart Foundation. Lizzie Trotter, FF Evaluation Analyst, presented the Extra Time evaluation report with a focus on the Social Return on Investment (SROI) element of the research. Best practice workshops also took place led by Clubs who shared with the other delegates how to successfully deliver four of the key elements of Extra Time: camaraderie, consultation, partnership working and variety of fun activities.
As the participant’s activities ended, so too did the workshop for the delegates and both groups mingled in the lounges, discussing their days activities and involvement in the Extra Time projects over much needed refreshments. The two groups then sat down for a Question and Answer session which was kicked off by a rendition of ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’ by some participants who are also in the Wessex Male Choir.
The afternoon came to a close with canapés and wine overlooking the River Thames in the sunshine. A lovely finish to a day that was enjoyed by all who attended- participants, delegates and helpers alike.
