Rhuddlan Dementia Group

The last few weeks have seen some “ups” and “downs” for the Group.

The main “down” was the fact that we had to cancel the 2 events planned for Saturday 26th June – the Memory/Wellness walk to the Nature Reserve and the “Come and Meet Us” session in the Community Centre; which would also have involved a number of other community groups. The cancellation was based on a last-minute recommendation by Denbighshire County Council; linked to the increasing Covid-19 numbers in the area.

Another “down” is the delay in providing the Dementia Friendly Sensory Area at the Nature Reserve. The Group was successful in pulling together £18,000 for this project early in the year but the impact of the lockdown and the long waiting lists for specialised contractors has put things back. We hope that the construction stage will start to happen before the end of the summer. The planting will then take place in late Autumn/early Winter and we should see things to looking good in the Spring.

Thankfully there have been a number of “ups” to compensate.

Fundraising activities have been very successful. A sponsored bike ride that included the Mayor, Cllr. Mike Elgin, the Group’s Chairman, Cllr. Arwel Roberts and the Town Clerk; raised £500 for the Dementia Group.

The following week Arwel and Awen had a “Tea and Cake” morning in their garden. The weather forecast was not good but thankfully it stayed dry and the visitors not only enjoyed their refreshments and a chat but they also raised over £400 for the Dementia Group.

These 2 events have raised over £900 for the Group and this will be used in the months ahead to help fund activities such as the Sit and Be Fit chair exercise sessions that take place on Monday afternoons in the Community Centre. When the regulations allow indoor singing again, we hope to re-start the Music Memories sessions.

Val Edwards, who attends the Sit and Be Fit sessions, has raised £200 for the Alzheimer’s Society. She did this, by having a wonderful tattoo of forget-me-nots (the Alzheimer’s Society’s flower) on her arm. People can still donate to this through the Just Giving website.

This excellent level of fundraising shows the high levels of support that the people of Rhuddlan give to good causes. A great example of the wonderful community spirit of our town.

The numbers of people attending the Sit and Be Fit has gradually grown and at the last session we had 23 people who enjoyed a fun session of chair exercises. The present Covid-19 regulations mean that we can only have up to 30 people exercising in the Community Centre so we are now nearing that limit. Hopefully the regulations will be lifted once the Covid-19 numbers start to drop.

Another “up” was Carers Trust setting up their Taith Ni sessions in the Community Centre. These had been located in Rhyl Rugby Club before lockdown but things have changed and a different location was needed. Gwenno Davies, their wonderfully enthusiastic, team leader, asked if we had a location in Rhuddlan, I suggested the Community Centre and they have now introduced their sessions on Thursday afternoons. The sessions are only available for people diagnosed with dementia and their family/carers after they have had formal contact with the Carers Trust; which usually takes place a few weeks after a dementia diagnosis. If any families have previously had contact with the Carers Trust and want to join into the activities at Taith Ni in Rhuddlan, they can phone Gwenno or Toby at 01492 542212. You can also give them a call if you would like to volunteer to help at the Taith Ni sessions.

If anyone wants more information or would like to join the Dementia Group, please give me call on 07801 768878.

Mike Kermode – Group Secretary.