Strong support has emerged for another innovative Angus set-up to help those living with dementia and their families.
The aim is to establish a dementia Meeting Centre in Forfar.
It follows the lead of Kirrie Connections which pioneered the international initiative in Scotland two years ago.
Strathmore Cricket Club is spearheading the drive to establish the Forfar centre.
An open meeting at its Lochside Park clubhouse was well attended by health agencies and community organisations.
And the club has taken the next step of setting up a steering group to progress the plan.
It is hoped the centre could open in early 2022.
What is a Meeting Centre?
Meeting Centres are designed to support people with mild to moderate dementia and their families.
They were developed in the Netherlands around 25 years ago.
And there are now more than 150 local centres there.
Kirrie Connections opened Scotland’s first Meeting Centre in 2019.
The Angus town’s dementia hub worked with the University of Worcester to create the centre.
Meeting centres operate out of normal community buildings to offer friendly support to people and families affected by dementia.
And at their heart is a social club where folk meet and get help that focusses on the individual.
Dutch and UK studies have shown strong evidence of their value.
People attending Meeting Centres were shown to experience better self-esteem, greater feelings of happiness and a stronger sense of belonging.
And those who attended most often demonstrated fewer of the condition’s more distressing symptoms.
Next stage of Forfar project
Strathmore Cricket Club is taking the lead role.
“We are keen to see our club and premises make a difference in Forfar,” they said.
“When we became aware that there was a need for a Meeting Centre, we immediately wanted to get involved.”
The club will provide the premises for the Meeting Centre.
But it says it clearly doesn’t have the expertise in dementia support to take the project forward on its own.
So it wants others with knowledge and expertise to get on board.
“We were hugely heartened by the attendance at the open meeting and the number of people willing to get practically involved,” said the club.
“We are convinced there is the desire and practical will in the town to make a Meeting Centre a reality.”
Call for community involvement
Detailed planning of how the centre would operate will now begin.
And the steering group will continue to build support and involvement from the wider community.
Kirrie Connections’ expertise will prove invaluable.
The club added: “One of the distinguishing features of Meeting Centres is that they are built from the bottom up.
“They reflect the particular needs and interests of the community they serve.
“For that reason, it’s very important we have people living with dementia and their family carers involved at all levels of planning and running the Forfar centre.
“So we are very keen to hear from people with lived experience of dementia who are willing to get involved.
“Establishing the Meeting Centre will involve us in every aspect from interior design to financial planning and fundraising.
“If there are people out there who can assist, we’d love to her from them”.
Anyone interested in becoming involved should contact Graham Hewitson at Strathmore Cricket Club by emailing strathmorecc@hotmail.com