Welcome to Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today (RYCT), the former Hopes and Dreams project, begun in 2023 at the Pear Tree, which works with people with dementia and their carers. RYTC is a reminiscence project to stimulate, and re-live lives through song, dance, rock and roll. It is part of Remembering Yesterday, Caring today, a European Reminiscence project established in 1993, inspired by Pam Schweitzer. More about Pam is here
Working with Dementia Carers Fund, we are pleased to announce a new season starting in January 2026.
A movie of our 2024 journey is here.
Where and Who and When
All sessions will take place at the Pear Tree Centre, Bungay Road, Halesworth, IP19 8SG. The day will be from 10am to 1pm. We will start promptly at 10 so ask people to arrive a bit earlier.
Each course is led by six facilitators supported by our team of volunteers.
- January 10 Training for facilitators
- January 17 – Introductions
- January 24 – Childhood and family life
- January 31 – School Days
- February 14 – Going out having fun
- February 21 – Starting work and working lives
- February 28 – Weddings
- March 7 – Home garden and animals
- March 14 – Evaluations
To contact us about the project, please come through Halesworth Dementia Carers Fund, 07753808440 pippaguard@gmail.com
During the 8 weeks we create together a book, which you take with you at the end.
The RYCT & Hopes and Dreams Story
Launched January 2024 with Hopes & Dreams 1, worked for 8 weeks with a cohort of 16 people. Hopes & Dreams 2 began in June 2025, also based around 8 weeks of memories, was manifested in a legacy of a Box. Both created a community which still meets and exchanges, as well as leaving a legacy of each couple having created a memory book.
October 2023: At our final gathering we met for the last time in the Pear Tree to celebrate our project together. Some photos here.
May 2023 Hopes and Dreams 2 Making Memories Matter
January 2024 Hopes and Dreams 1 – the 8 sessions
“The Hopes & Dreams course was outstanding for us. The willingness of people to talk about their experiences and life history was humbling to hear and for us, with my husband in the early stages of dementia, a great learning curve, but also a bit frightening to think of the future. This course has taught us so much how to cope, enjoy life and live in the present moment and enjoy every precious moment. Thank you all.”
From a Hopes and Dreams participant 2023
Thanks
We are very grateful for Halesworth Demential Carers Fund for funding this project and for the Pear Tree for providing the space.
The concept takes its inspiration from Pam Schweitzer, – here’s a quote from one of her projects: “Remembering the Past-Building the Future” aims to show how memory, despite its fragility, manages to preserve the past against the destructive work of time and brings along the hope for a better future.”
.
Here’s your team
.
Here we are working with Pam at a two day workshop at the Pear Tree, January 2023
Remembering yesterday caring today 