Information and support at Worthing’s Dementia Action Day is phenomenal success

Organisers said the event was bigger and better than last year with stalls offering information, care advice, services and support, the loan of a vintage 1960s bus from Stagecoach, a group of people with dementia, their carers and support workers plus pupils from St Andrew’s School on board to help.

The road trip to Ferring for lunch at the Abbeyfield Ferring Centre with entertainment and singing on a sunny day saw passengers and their carers soak up nostalgia of days gone by.

Bob Smytherman, the charity’s chairman and town crier, thanked Stagecoach and the driver for a stunning ride on the green Leyland Titan through Worthing, Goring, Tarring and Ferring.

Taking centre-stage on the bus everyone heard his bell before they saw the bus which drew attention to the dementia-friendly message on the sides of the bus.

Hazel Thorpe, Worthing mayor, said: “The amount of work and effort that had been put in behind the scenes showed how hard people had worked.”

She said her mayoral year would highlight, support and promote the people who do not always get the recognition they deserve and said that everyone should be very proud of what they had achieved to bring this day together.”

Stalls in the town drew people who would not usually stop to talk about dementia to learn about support from care providers and charities.

Linda O’Sullivan, head of London and the South for the Alzheimer’s Society, summed it up as phenomenal.

She said: “Dementia Action Week is about uniting people and communities to take action. Promoting awareness of dementia and joining a social network can make a real difference in challenging the stigma that surrounds this condition.

“We know that people feel isolated but what we have here is a real community making things work and seeing young people here today is inspiring.”

For more information, visit www.dementiafriendlyworthing.org