Ovenden Ward Forum, Illingworth Neighbourhood Watch Group and Moorside School Junior Wardens are the latest to join the Dementia Friendly campaign in North Halifax.

The project started by Illingworth Moor Methodist Church and West Yorkshire Fire Service aims to make North Halifax neighbourhoods Dementia Friendly by 2018 and with support from Memory Lane Cafe and the Alzheimer’s Society has already seen over 40 local residents undertake awareness training.

Dementia doesn’t care who you are; it could affect us all.

Because public understanding is quite poor, people with dementia often feel misunderstood, marginalised and isolated which means that they’re less likely to be able to live independently in their own communities.

We urgently need to create a climate of kindness and understanding, so that everyone affected by dementia feels part of, not apart from, society. This simply means finding out more about how dementia affects a person – and then, armed with this understanding, doing small everyday things that help. For example, being patient in a shop queue, or spending time with someone you know who’s living with dementia

Some of the activities the Junior Wardens took part in included writing down all the steps for making a cup of tea which saw some of the smallest but important steps being missed out highlighting what it might be like for someone with Dementia having to and proudly received their Dementia Friends badges for their great work and support.

From 2018 dementia will be a Staying Well priority for North Halifax and the local steering group, in charge of a budget provided by Community Foundation for Calderdale and North Halifax Partnership will support activities to address loneliness and isolation and initiatives to make North Halifax a Dementia friendly community.

Anyone who would like to be involved in the Dementia Friendly North Halifax project, please get in touch with Karen Scanlon on 01422 255402 or email karen@ovenden-initiative.org.uk for more information on how you can get involved.