Updates from March
- victoria29826
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
We found out the total raised from our 12 hour Dance-a-thon!
Thank you to all those who came, danced, donated and got involved in such a generous and joyful way. We had a blast at our 12 Hour Dance-a-thon, and with your help we raised a huge £3417.00!
International Women's Day
Did you know around twice as many women have Alzheimer’s disease – the most common type of dementia – compared to men. (Alzheimer's Society)
Fi, Claire and Maeve attended the International Women’s Day event in Plymouth, on the 6th March which was presented by the West Country Women Awards. The day was filled with inspirational speakers, from the NHS and the police to businesswomen and coaches- all speaking on the importance of women’s rights and the injustices still happening in 2026. Fi was announced as the West Country Women Award’s charity of the year and she gave a hard-hitting talk about her personal experience of dementia as well as promoting the charity and the work we do.
On Tuesday the 10 March, Claire and Vicky headed to Queen’s College Taunton for an International Women’s Day event created by Taunton Chamber of Commerce. A chance to network and listen to informative and moving talks from Catherine Dyer, the Pocket Strategist, Fiona Foster, of Somerset Community Foundation, Selina Keedwell from Somerset Youth Theatre and Daniel Cooper who does marketing for the college. The overarching theme was bravery and resilience, both Claire and Vicky came away feeling inspired.
Singing for Fun is now running every Tuesday, 2pm-3.30pm, at the Kings Arms Community Hub. The first two sessions have been great fun, so please if you want to come and sing in a relaxed and friendly environment, why not give it a try? Open to all for a suggested donation of £3 per person.
What Makes a Dementia Inclusive Community?
The research focused on this question using mixed methods to gather varied perspectives and lived experiences of local people. These findings will be used by RL going forward and drive the direction of our Dementia Inclusive Community initiative, with the aim to tackle the barriers that persist.
Findings revealed significant challenges such as:
100% of those surveyed with a dementia diagnosis said they felt unsafe and that Wellington was not inclusive.
Evidence of public stigma and self-stigma.
Institutional barriers such as inadequate patient information on dementia.
Limited physical accessibility e.g. steps, ramps, signs.
Fractured carer support.
There were positives identified:
Many felt Wellington was a caring town where people look out for each other.
An older population that understands older people’s needs.
Participants identified that having Reminiscence Learning as a prominent local charity creates dementia inclusivity and brings people together both those living with dementia and those without.
We opened our doors on the 20 of March to mark the completion of our research project in collaboration with Bath Spa University and We Are The People. The event, held at the our Hamlands centre, welcomed members of the public to hear findings presented by researchers Dr Debbie Worrall and Dr Katy Brickley. Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, was in attendance amongst community members and local organisations.
Our online Carer's Support Group had a Carer's ‘Not Christmas’ Lunch on the 25 of March. Having not had the chance to catch up over the Christmas period, they had a belated get together with a mixed Christmas and Easter theme! Denise, who runs the group, set up a beautiful table with treats and games for all our carers, with both Christmas crackers and Easter bunny ears! This group is so important for supporting our unpaid carers, who have formed amazing friendships through this service and can lean on each other in hard times. If you are a carer for a loved one living with dementia and need guidance, friendship and support, please get in touch if you are interested in this service. Being a carer can be an extremely isolating and challenging experience and connecting with those who have similar lived experiences can really lighten the load.
On the 19 March Claire and Fi attended the Somerset Dementia Wellbeing Service’s Dementia Conference, coordinated by Spark Somerset. The event was a chance for the local health, care and VCFSE sector to link together with the shared aim of discussing how they can best improve the lives of those living with dementia. The keynote speaker was David Sheard, Professor of Emotional Intelligence in Care at York St John University and a pioneer in dementia care. Claire gave a brilliant talk about how we are aiming to create a dementia inclusive community in Wellington and explained the work she's doing to create and strengthen connections locally. It was great to see people getting on board with the initiative and how many people and organisations in Somerset are aligned in our goals to increase community support for those living with dementia, their families, and their carers.
Some of the RL team headed to the Bath and West Showground on the 26 for the Somerset Business Award’s grand final! We were nominated for the ‘Investing in Somerset’ category, sponsored by Hinkley Point C. Unfortunately, we didn’t win the award but are so honoured to have been recognised for our work through the shortlisting and given a chance to promote the charity to a wider audience. The team had a fabulous evening!
A big thank you to The Stand Club who visited Hamlands on the 27 March to present us with a donation of £3424 that they generously raised for us at a Christmas dinner and dance they held last year.
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