Two new Meeting Centres for those living with dementia will be set up in Bromsgrove and Redditch, thanks to a county-wide funding programme.
In January 2020, Worcestershire County Council and the six district councils of Worcestershire announced they would be investing £540,000 from the County’s Business Rates Retention Pilot to help local communities across the county to set up specialist dementia Meeting Centres across, putting the county at the forefront of this new way of supporting those living with the condition and their families.
In 2021, funding for Meeting Centres in Malvern Hills, Malvern Link and Worcester City, Evesham, Kidderminster and Stourport was approved by the joint University of Worcester and Worcestershire County Council Assessment Panel.
Now, in April 2022, funding for two further Centres has been approved – for Bromsgrove and Redditch. This will mean there is excellent coverage of Meeting Centres across Worcestershire enabling access to much needed community-based support for people affected by dementia from across the county.
University of Worcester Fellow, Dorothy Wilson MBE, the independent Chair of the Panel said: “The Panel was delighted to be able to approve funding for another two Centres. We look forward to building on the experience of established Meeting Centres to support the new Centres and create opportunities for more people living with dementia and family carers across the county.”
Julia Neal, CEO, Age UK Herefordshire & Worcestershire said: “We are delighted to be awarded this grant and are looking forward to developing the new Meeting Centres in Bromsgrove and Redditch over the next few months. Our established Meeting Centres in Droitwich, Kidderminster and Stourport have shown us what a difference this support can make to those with dementia and their families, especially the opportunity to be able to share and learn from others in similar situations as themselves. We are really excited about being able to extend our support to people living with dementia in the Bromsgrove and Redditch areas and to working with our partners at Age UK Bromsgrove Redditch and Wyre Forest and Sanctuary Care to make this happen”.
Meeting Centres were originally developed in the Netherlands and were brought to the UK by the University of Worcester’s Association for Dementia Studies. A Meeting Centre is a local resource, operating out of ordinary community buildings, that offers on-going warm and friendly expert support to people with mild to moderate dementia and their families. At the heart of the Meeting Centre is a social club where people meet to have fun, talk to others and get help that focusses on what they need. Meeting Centres are based on sound research evidence on what helps people to cope well in adjusting to living with the symptoms and changes that dementia brings.
Hannah Perrott, Assistant Director for Communities at Worcestershire County Council, said: “We are delighted to see support being offered to help people living with dementia and their families in another part of the county and I look forward to seeing more successful applications over the coming months.”
If you have any questions about the Programme and the application process please email meetingcentres@worc.ac.uk