Reminiscence Café

Join us for our monthly reminiscence sessions for older people - just come along, enjoy a cup of tea and share your memories.

Facilitated by local historian Christine Protz, author of 'Tottenham, A History'

Keeping Warm - Tuesday 19 February, 2-4pm.

Most of us now benefit from the sort of heating that keeps all our rooms warm and comes on automatically, but it was not always so. We usually used to rely on coal fires, cleaning out the grate first and then careful making up before (hopefully) lighting. Then of course there was also the yearly visit of the sweep. Sometimes additional heating was used for other rooms, such as paraffin stoves or electric fires and we usually had to find extra ways to keep warm, such as hot water bottles (rubber or stone) or bed warmers. Some of us changed to different heating – gas fires or 5-bar electric heaters, so much easier to use – and then central heating started to be installed. Do you remember when you got this and the difference it made? Do you miss a coal fire? What do you remember about the challenges and rewards of keeping warm in years gone past?

Inspiring Women - Tuesday 19 March, 2-4pm.

Inspirational people have so frequently been men, but let’s look at inspiring women. What women have inspired you? Perhaps to pursue a certain path in life, as a role model or helped you to find a pastime or activity for enjoyment and enrichment? Maybe it was a member of your family, your mum or gran or an aunt, who you admired for the way they got on with life in spite of adversity. Or the way they loved life and people, or their sense of humour or wisdom. Perhaps it was a teacher who led you to an interest in a subject or encouraged you to aim higher or develop a particular talent. Alternatively, it might be someone in the public eye – a writer, actor, singer, sportswoman or politician. We have had plenty of male role models, but perhaps a little more hidden or understated, there are women out there who have inspired us.

Scrapbooks and Diaries - Tuesday 23 April, 2-4pm.

I have a friend (age 75) who has kept a daily diary all her life. Probably not many of us could claim that, but usually we have kept a diary at some time in our life. Have you still got your old diaries and do you ever reread them? Did they record the important events in your life, or did you write more about your thoughts and feelings at the time? Another way we might record memories is the scrapbook with pasted in pictures, articles, programmes etc. Maybe you kept one of places you have seen and explored, your holidays or about a favourite celebrity or sports team. Some scrapbooks have been made up to keep copies of family recipes, or knitting or dressmaking patterns. When we dip into them they can make for some interesting reading. Bring along any you would like to share with us and we will see what might be stored here in the archive.