Woodbridge welcomes new monthly community Dementia Café at Notcutts 

Seckford Care in Woodbridge, Suffolk is working in partnership with Home Instead and Notcutts to run a new Dementia Café between 10am and 12pm on the fourth Thursday of each month, in the garden centre’s restaurant in the town’s Ipswich Road. A successful first session was held at Notcutts on 22^nd June 2023. 

The concept is that a person with dementia can enjoy coffee, cake and social interaction in the café, whilst their family carer has two hours of free time, either to do their shopping or to spend some time elsewhere in the café, perhaps to meet with friends or have a walk around the garden centre. 

Anyone who is living with dementia or who is a family carer is welcome. 

The Dementia Café has been set up following direct feedback from family carers who have been attending the recent community sessions hosted by the Woodbridge Dementia Project. 

Cathy O’Brien, Head of Development and Communities at Seckford Care and Chair of Woodbridge Dementia Project, said: 

“We hope that this initiative will provide an opportunity for individuals living with dementia to continue to feel part of their local communities and to have opportunities to socialise and engage with activities in the town.

“Seckford Care and Home Instead have worked in partnership on previous several ventures to raise awareness about dementia and offer a range of activities in the Woodbridge area. It therefore seemed a natural progression to collaborate again to provide a dementia café to those in and around Woodbridge. 

“Our combined knowledge and expertise will help to provide valuable support to those in Woodbridge living with dementia and their carers. We are also delighted that Notcutts was keen to come on board and support the development of our new dementia café for the local community.”

Home Instead supports community groups all over the UK with grants to fund activities that promote well-being and programmes to reduce and/or prevent isolation and loneliness. It has been instrumental in setting up a similar project in Ipswich. 

Wendy Chard, Head of Community Engagement at Home Instead, commented: 

“After the success of the partnership between Home Instead and Waitrose/John Lewis in Ipswich, where a dementia café is hosted once a month, this initiative is much-needed in other venues to support those living with dementia and their carers. 

“To be a truly dementia-inclusive community, all activities and services need to think differently. With a few changes and help from volunteers, this type of facility should be available in all supermarkets, cafés and other communal spaces.”

The Woodbridge Dementia Café has been given a small grant from East Suffolk Council to help with start-up costs, with Notcutts providing the venue and refreshments free of charge. 

Both Cathy O’Brien and Wendy Chard are working together to deliver the service, with the help of volunteers, who they are actively seeking to recruit and train.

The Woodbridge Dementia Café has started with six places initially, with the aim to increase to 10 places, subject to the level of volunteers available.

Darren Brooks, General Manager at Notcutts in Woodbridge, added:

“At Notcutts, we understand the valuable and amazing role that carers do and we want to support them in whatever we can. 

“By hosting the dementia café, we can provide a safe place for those living with dementia, whilst their carers can enjoy browsing the store and visiting our nature walk.”

To book a place, please call Cathy O’Brien on 07342 058012. 

Photo caption: Pictured at the launch of the Woodbridge Dementia Cafe at Notcutts, Woodbridge on 22^nd June 2023, left to right: Wendy Chard, Head of Communities at Home instead; Cathy O’Brien, Head of Development and Communities at Seckford Care;  Claire Corden, Volunteer; and Tracy Ellis, Volunteer. [CREDIT: Seckford Care]  

For further information on Seckford Care, visit the website at www.seckfordcare.org.uk

To find out more about Home Instead and Notcutts, go to www.homeinstead.co.uk/charities and www.notcutts.co.uk respectively.

ENDS

Note to Editors:

Seckford Care is situated in the beautiful and historic Almshouses, established in Woodbridge, Suffolk by Sir Thomas Seckford in 1587. It forms part of the Seckford Foundation, which includes independent Woodbridge School. This broad-ranging charity unites younger and older people, creating a diverse and exciting organisation at the heart of the community.

Seckford Care is an award-winning Care Home and Extra Care scheme, rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, based in a stunning Grade II-Listed building in the centre of Woodbridge. It enables older people to live fulfilling lives, as independently as possible, whilst promoting and supporting the highest standards of care and support.

Seckford Care provides 30 Extra Care apartments for those who wish to live independently, safe in the knowledge that carers are on hand 24 hours a day. The residential Care Home, Jubilee House, offers 26 single rooms, available for those who would like their own comfortable room, home-cooked meals, access to activities and housekeeping services. The Seckford Club operates for those who live in the community and would like to meet other people, take part in activities and enjoy a convivial lunch.