DEMENTIA Awareness Week 2017 in Brecon was a huge success, with a range of activities taking place involving people living with dementia and their families, local residents and several schools in and around the town.
A number of Dementia Awareness sessions were delivered including one in the Brecon Medical Practice and two in the local Jobcentre.
Both Llanfaes and Clyro Primary Schools hosted events organised by their year 6 pupils who are involved in inter-generational work and between them, in addition to raising awareness, which they did exceptionally well, they also raised just over £420!
Mount Street Junior School’s year 6 pupils also held an event to which they invited people from Arosfa Day centre, for whom they sang and read poetry before challenging them to play draughts, and the children’s guests loved every moment of the visit!
All three events were hugely enjoyed by all involved and were a credit to the young Dementia Friends who organised them.
On Friday, May 19 Theatr Brycheiniog was the venue for a full day of activities. There were art and photographic exhibitions, a morning Information & Advice event and an afternoon Tea Dance, all rounded off with coffee and cake! The day was supported by a number of local agencies who were happy to offer advice, support and signposting to people living with dementia and their family carers during the morning session.
The afternoon Tea Dance, with a great mix of music from the 1930s to the present day provided by Video DJ Peter Philips, was a great success and was enjoyed by people living with dementia and their carers, and also by people from the community who simply came to support the event and to enjoy dancing, which they clearly did!
Although the primary focus of the week was raising awareness of dementia, it was also important to raise funds in order to enable the Brecon Area Dementia Friendly Community (DFC) to continue to deliver existing projects and establish new initiatives, and this aspect of the week was also a real success.
Joan Manley from the Brecon & Radnor Express presented the DFC chair Joan Brown with a cheque for £80 raised from donations by local advertisers. A bag pack in Brecon Co-op combined with donations in the theatre raised a further £333, while extra monies coming in from the schools involved helped bring the total amount raised to £834.27!
All of the money raised will be used to finance initiatives aimed at helping and supporting local people affected by dementia, so heartfelt thanks go out from all concerned to everyone who donated.