Seven years ago Matt Singleton’s father, Brian, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and one of the immediate consequences was that he stopped reading. “That was his main pastime when he wasn’t working, along with football,” says Matt. “Suddenly I was no longer able to buy him books for things like birthdays and Father’s Day, so I started to write them myself for fun.”
Matt publishes his books now, in association with the Alzheimer’s Society. They are called “cognitive books” as they are designed to help stimulate the mind of someone with dementia. He is a gerontologist, someone who specialises in understanding the processes of ageing. In choosing his material he has had to be selective, focusing on topics that can make connections with people whose memories have been attacked. That’s where the 1966 World Cup comes in.
