On Thursday 25 September, the Memory Café at St Cuthbert’s in Wembley celebrated its 10-year anniversary.
Pioneered by the Revd Steve Morris in 2015, the café has gone from strength to strength. What began as a modest morning meet-up, became, according to incumbent, Trevor Goddard, a “beacon of warmth and inclusion” and a “flagship community hub.”
The Tuesday morning café routinely welcomes around 80 guests – or closer to 100 for special occasions, such as the anniversary celebration. Guests include those living with dementia and their carers, older folk from the community, and anyone else locally who cares to join!
There is a small but very dedicated team of volunteers who support the café – a number of them having done so for several years now. In a couple of cases, this involvement began when they accompanied a friend or relative living with dementia, but has continued even after their loved one has passed away – such has been the strength of the support and friendship found in the café.
Each week, guests enjoy refreshments, gentle exercises, live music and group singing, and the staple element of a team quiz – approached more or less competitively depending on which table you join! Trevor estimates that the café must have done around 800 quizzes over this last decade!
For the celebration, the St Cuthbert’s team pushed the boat out, and café guests also enjoyed: a raffle – with 10 prizes, one for each year, a delicious vegan curry lunch from local caterers, a specially commissioned cake, and a lively rock n’ roll performance from local duo, The Missing Men. Guests wasted no time standing up to dance, and the band, who more commonly perform pub gigs, later remarked upon what a great atmosphere this created.
Attendees of the anniversary celebration included Brent’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Narinder Singh Bajwa with his wife, Lady Mayoress Mrs Jasbinder Bajwa who gamely bought raffle tickets, and Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Revd Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, who had the honour of cutting the cake.
Café sessions are always an inter-cultural affair, with people from a variety of faiths and heritages in attendance. One of the café’s strengths, as remarked upon by a number of guests, is that, in this context, everyone can feel included.
For Revd Trevor, this inclusive community is an expression of God’s love:
“At the heart of the St Cuthbert’s Memory Café is God’s love for people, shown through the lives of individuals who give and receive care, friendship, and kindness. The café is more than a gathering – it is a living testimony that each person is treasured and valued.”
Bishop Lusa commented:
“At St Cuthbert’s Memory Café, even when old memories fade, new ones are born; moments of laughter, care, and belonging. There seems to be no distinction between guests, volunteers, or carers. All you see is simply one community of hope. It feels like a glimpse of God’s kingdom, a place of inclusion where ‘all things are made new’. This was my second visit to the Memory Cafe. Again, I was in amazement at the energy, joy, and vitality of the place. It is heartening to see a church community committed to sustain this hub of grace.”
