New Charity Partnership with Sporting Memories!

At Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing Brewery, Community is our driving force and central to our mission. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vital importance that community has for each and every one of us - along with a sense of belonging, it gives our lives meaning and provides the necessary support to help cope with life’s difficulties. 

SiWC is all about brewing great beer, but we are truly proud to brew great beer that stands for something. That’s why we aim to partner our beers with charities that support communities who might otherwise be left behind, because everyone deserves to have a sense of belonging. 

For this reason, we are thrilled to announce our new charity partnership with Sporting Memories! This amazing charity and social enterprise helps older people to reminisce, replay and reconnect through the power of sport and physical activity.

Launched in 2011, Sporting Memories supports a wide range of people aged 50-plus, including those living with dementia, living with depression or facing isolation and loneliness, to improve their mental and physical wellbeing through regular club sessions, situated within local communities across England, Scotland and Wales. 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Age UK found that around 1.4 million people aged 50 and over were often lonely and they predict that by 2026, that number will increase to 2 million. Loneliness and isolation among elderly people, already a growing concern, has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. This is one of the many reasons why we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Sporting Memories.

They are dedicated to bringing older people together with the aim of making a positive difference in their lives by providing them with a welcoming, supportive and structured environment where they can develop confidence to improve their lives for the better.

Sporting Memories achieves this by offering a range of support mechanisms and unique products which are designed to aid the development and running of sessions in a range of locations including community and leisure centres, care homes, hospitals and other closed settings. To date, they have 150 in-person and digital clubs operating across Great Britain with exciting plans to establish new clubs across the world. 

While Sporting Memories needs no help from us to make a positive impact, we couldn’t be happier to join their cause and their community. It’s only fitting that our much-loved and heavily-awarded Shetland Pony Pale Ale be the vehicle for this cause. 

Despite their small stature, the Shetland Pony is known for its hardiness and sturdy dependability, bred from millennia of enduring harsh northern winters, while navigating rocky hills and rough boggy heath. If you look at a can of Shetland Pony, you’ll notice a familiar face atop the faithful steed - that of a young then-Princess Elizabeth, enjoying her favourite pastime of horseback riding, years before she would become the figure of dependability and strength that we remember so fondly today.

We feel this is the perfect vessel for the Sporting Memories cause, which is a community of people from all walks of life, who have achieved great things, endured many storms and yet still have much to contribute to our communities. Shetland Pony Pale Ale is a lovely, refreshing session pale ale of 2.8% abv. Like the pony and princess on the can, do not be fooled by her size. For every can sold, we will donate 10p to Sporting Memories and their excellent work improving the lives of older people across Great Britain!

As we embark on this exciting new partnership with Sporting Memories, we will look to team up with their various clubs to help raise awareness and provide whatever support we can. We look forward to forging a lasting relationship with their wonderful community.

To find out more about Sporting Memories’ amazing work and the many ways you can get involved, visit their website at www.sportingmemories.uk or follow them on social media via Twitter @SportsMemNet.

How can you help? 

Buy a few cans of Shetland Pony here!