Essex Cricket in the Community teamed up with Sporting Memories to host an evening with cricketing legend Graham Gooch, reflecting on his career and significant moments in his life.
Sporting Memories use the power of remembering and talking about sport, along with physical exercise, to tackle dementia, depression and loneliness. They provide social and physical activities for older fans and former players who share a common love of sport.
The sharing of treasured memories is proven to help build cognitive resilience for those living with dementia, as well as being a benefit to mental wellbeing.
The session, held at Leyton Urban Hub in East London where a weekly Sporting Memories club takes place, welcomed cricket lovers from the local community who rejoiced in the anecdotes of an icon.
The former Essex and England captain spoke in detail about how his career had started locally, playing schools and then regional cricket across Waltham Forest and West Essex.
Gooch also reflected on his famous 333 at Lord’s against India in 1990 and being part of an England side that came close to winning World Cups in 1987 and 1992.
After the session, Gooch spoke about the importance of sharing tales from his career with fans.
“Having played professional sport for a long, long time and having a lot of people help me on that journey, I think it’s good for me to share my experiences in return.
“If I can help people through my experiences to get more fun and enjoyment out of sport, or life in general, then that is something I am always happy to do. I was glad to be part of this session with Sporting Memories.”
