Photos by Neil Rees



A group of 16 people in West Lancs became ‘Dementia Friends’ recently, as part of a campaign to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding around the condition.



The group attended a free one-hour Information Session at Cottage Lane Mission Church in Ormskirk run by local Dementia Friends Champion Amanda Boult.





Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, talks and acts about the condition. The charity wants there to be a four million Dementia Friends with the know-how to help people with dementia feel understood and included in their community.

There are currently 850,000 people living with the condition in England.

Dementia Friends Champions are volunteers who talk to people about being a Dementia Friend in their communities; speaking about the session, Amanda told QLocal: "I was so pleased to see people showing their support for people with dementia, by coming along and becoming Dementia Friends.

"We need to create more communities and businesses that are dementia friendly so that people affected by dementia feel understood and included. As part of the West Lancashire Dementia Action Alliance CLM Church in Ormskirk was the perfect place to start and is working towards becoming a Dementia Friendly Church.’

Amanda signed up to be a Dementia Friends Champion earlier this year and attended a one day training course on how to deliver the Sessions.

She continued: "I signed up to be a Dementia Friends Champion because I want to increase awareness about how people can live well with dementia given the right support and understanding from within their community. I’m so proud to be part of a growing network of people helping to create dementia friendly communities across England."

Added Charlotte Adams, Dementia Friends Regional Support Officer at Alzheimer’s Society: "Whether you attend a face-to-face Session or watch the online video, Dementia Friends is about learning more about dementia and the small ways you can help. From telling friends about the Dementia Friends programme to visiting someone you know living with dementia, every action counts.’

Anyone interested in supporting the campaign can click dementiafriends.org.uk, and you can find out more about Alzheimer’s Society here: www.alzheimers.org.uk