Chichester Festival Theatre Announces Partnerships With Local Charities Dementia Support And UK Harvest

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Chichester Festival Theatre has announced its partnerships with Dementia Support, which delivers services for people living with dementia and their family and carers in the West Sussex area, and local charity  UK Harvest.

The partnerships will see a number of special events dedicated both to fundraising and increasing awareness of Dementia Supports work over the coming year. These range from a Dementia Friendly performance of the summer musical South Pacific – the first such performance to be mounted by the Theatre to a Photo Exhibition.

Kathy Bourne, Executive Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, said: ‘We are very excited to be working with these two remarkable charities. Dementia Support and UK Harvest have already given brilliant presentations about their work to our staff and we’re looking forward to forging genuinely meaningful relationships which will see all three organisations interact with, and benefit from, each other’s mission.’

For more information about UK Harvest visit https://www.ukharvest.org.uk/

Sally Tabbner presenting to CFT on why we should be their charity of the year!

A happy team post presentation.

Local businesses support dementia at Sage House

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Time to Talk Day at Sage House

Time to Talk Day, was initiated by Dementia Support at Sage House and the idea behind it was to connect our customers with businesses in the community by providing an informal and relaxed setting to ask about issues surrounding dementia.

It was the first event of its kind at Sage House as businesses moved around the room and had six-minutes per table to chat to customers. The local businesses that supported the event was Cameron James Solicitors, Irwin Mitchell, Ascot Lloyd Financial, Citizens Advice Bureau, St Wilfred’s, Coop Funeral Care, AGE UK, Carers Support West Sussex, Samaritans, West Sussex MIND, Chichester Wellbeing, Frame of Mind, Impact Initiatives and many more.
 
The feedback from the businesses: “Cameron James Legal was extremely proud to support the recent ‘Time to Talk’ event at Sage House, discussing legal issues such as Lasting Powers of Attorney, Wills, Trusts and Probate in an informal and relaxed setting. Customers were able to ask numerous questions, comfortable that they were in a supportive and caring environment and helping them feel better informed about next steps. Many comments received on the day suggested that this event had been relevant,
helpful, interesting and in some cases fun!  We would be delighted to support future Time to Talk events,” Ben Marsh (Cameron James Legal)
 
We are hoping to make this a regular event to give local businesses the opportunity to have honest and open conversations with our customers. If you are interested in our next Time to Talk, please contact Martha (Head of Sage House) at martha.pusey@dementia-support.org.uk or contact Sage House 01243 888691.

Graeme Souness joins us for an intimate Q and A

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An Evening with Footballing Legend Graeme Souness

Graeme Souness will be joining us at the Chichester Harbour Hotel in North Street on Friday, March 27, discussing his distinguished and successful career, which has spanned more than 40 years, as a player, manager and now Sky Sports pundit.

There will be a focus on his tales from the world of football, including his time as a player for the Scottish national team and for Middlesbrough, as captain at Liverpool and as the multi-title winning player-manager at Rangers, as well as his thoughts on new research linking dementia and football, and how it might affect the game in the future.

Standard and VIP tickets are available with meet and greet and premium seating options.

Click here for your tickets

Best of Sussex Community Winners

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Our Best of Sussex Community Winners

Over 150 guests celebrated the people and services that go the extra mile in and around Sussex last night at the Best of Sussex Community Awards

More than 150 people attended the awards ceremony, held at the Brighton Hilton Metropole, during which Shaun Lyndon Smith, Manager of Hair at  No 4, was named the winner of volunteer of the year!.

Shaun very kindly donates his time and expertise by volunteering at our Sage House Salon on a Wednesday, When asked why Shaun volunteers for Dementia Support he said:

“My experience is personal as my father had dementia and sadly my mother-in-law is going through a very similar thing.

Cutting hair for people living with dementia and their carers and the happy feeling of looking good is something I can give people…. and give back to the community. I enjoy doing it and the people here are great. They always make me feel welcome. I’ve built up a bit of a bond with some of the clients here; they all walk past and wave and say ‘hello Shaun’. So the more I can give the better I feel; it’s great fun. I couldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it.”

Tangmere Primary Academy were nominated as School of the year but were pipped to the post by Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School Horsham, but, went on to win the Readers Choice Award for their close intergenerational work they do with Dementia Supports Hub, Sage House. Assistant Head Teacher Bev Iles said when receiving the Schools Award “we want to thanks Sage House, they are such a good supporter, and we really do love the work we do at Sage House, it not only benefits our children but the clients also.”

Hosted by Ambrose Harcourt, there were speeches by JPIMedia editorial director for Sussex Gary Shipton, as well as Sussex-based novelist Kate Mosse and headline sponsor Mike Harris of the Sussex Masonic Foundation who had this to say about the work of Dementia Support “I don’t know how this country will run without an organisation like you”

Dementia Support’s First AGM

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A First for Dementia Support

Our first Annual General Meeting of Dementia Support was held at Sage House on Wednesday 4 December. The meeting was very well attended by staff, volunteers, customers and visitors who were presented with the first Annual Report and accounts from June 2018 – March 2019, by our Chair of Trustees Anthony Wickins, Trustee Kevin Coppard and CEO Sally Tabbner. They went on to speak about the year past and years to come. Our auditors Robert Sadler and Company were then voted to continue doing our accounts. This was followed by an excellent question and answer session.

There has been very positive feedback following the meeting, and it was a great opportunity to celebrate the enormous contribution made by staff, and our amazing volunteers, to the success of Dementia Support

You can download a copy of our first Annual Review or you can collect one from Sage House

Tips to Having a Dementia Friendly Family Christmas

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5 Tips for a Dementia Friendly Family Christmas

Enjoy Precious Moments with your loved ones this Christmas

The festive period can be an overwhelming time, particularly for people living with dementia. Here’s a few reminders of how we can all minimise stress, stay calm and enjoy more Precious Moments together this Christmas:

A dementia friendly family christmas

5 Simple Tips

1: When it’s cold and bright, enjoy some exercise in the fresh air together. Look out for birds and winter wildlife, for example along the Chichester canal.

2: Enjoy dementia-friendly activities at Christmas such as carol-singing or simple Christmas crafts. Have a look at our busy Activity programme every week at Sage House.

3: Spend time with friends and family in smaller groups, for shorter amounts of time. Remember Daisy’s Café at Sage House is a relaxed place to get together.

4: Notice and be grateful for the Precious Moments when they happen, from snuggling up under a blanket, to dancing along to your favourite Christmas hit.

5: If you or someone you know needs some support, our dementia Wayfinding Service is free, timely and open to all, just get in touch to make an appointment.

To find more tips on how you can support people with dementia this Christmas go to our Precious Moments Campaign.

Annie Haak Memories Matter Bracelet Stack

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We would like to present this beautifully designed, limited edition bracelet made by Annie Haak, this bracelet has been specially created for and to support, Dementia Support 
100% of proceeds from the Memories Matter Bracelet Stack will be donated directly to us.
Handcrafted in 925 Sterling Silver, this three-strand design features three sentimental charms –
Annie’s signature My Guardian Angel and Feather, and a Heart charm
engraved with a ‘Memories Matter’ motto and symbolic Forget-Me-Not Flower to the reverse.

Buy Now 

Partnership cemented to support local People Living with Dementia

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The Resilience and Emergency WSCC Team with Sally Tabbner, Dementia Support CEO

Local charity Dementia Support welcomed Debbie Kennard, WSCC Cabinet Member for Safer Stronger Communities and the WSCC Resilience and Emergencies Team in a visit to the charity’s purpose-built dementia facility – Sage House in Tangmere. 

The team completed Dementia Friends training which they will apply to the daily work they undertake in supporting and strengthening the community of West Sussex to be prepared as and when disruptive events or emergencies occur.

Debbie Kennard said “I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the Sage House and hear about the fantastic work of Dementia Support. There are more than 15,000 people in West Sussex living with dementia which is why it is so important our teams have the knowledge and understanding to support them.

“Our Resilience and Emergencies Team work closely with local groups and I was so pleased they were able to become Dementia Friends.”

Led by Martin Funnell, Resilience and Emergencies Manager, the team also toured the specialist facilities at Sage House and then participated in a Royal Ascot themed competition with the Sage House Day Breaks customers, a service designed to provide respite for families and carers.  

The visit ended with the team from Sage House and WSCC discussing opportunities to work together to not only support people living with dementia in the community by taking part in various upcoming campaigns, training and exercises,  but by working in partnership to raise awareness of dementia as part of the council’s Community Resilience Programme, What If? And the Duke of Cornwall Award which is specifically targeted at young people in the County.

Sally Tabbner, Dementia Support CEO said “As well as providing support and care to those living with dementia and their families and carers locally, as a charity it is our aim to ensure that all of our local communities are dementia friendly.  Our objective to challenge and change people’s perceptions of dementia and therefore how they think, act and talk about it.  Partnerships with key community workers such as the Resilience and Emergencies Team is imperative to help us achieve that.”

The charity opened Sage House in Tangmere last year, which brings all dementia services under one roof to support people living with dementia, and their families and carers.  It is fast becoming known as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ with its integrated and innovative approach to supporting people to live well with the condition even being discussed this week in the House of Commons this week in a debate around dementia care. 

The charity also recently launched a £1 million appeal to so it can reach more people living with dementia and provide support for them and their families. To help Dementia Support raise the £1 million so urgently needed for this unique, local and essential charity, contact them on: 01243 888691 or visit www.dementia-support.org.uk/appeal to make a donation to the Appeal today. 

Chichester Solicitors Glanvilles LLP, chooses Sage House – Dementia Support as Charity of the Year

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Glanvilles LLP is a full service law firm, specialising in a wide range of areas such as Wills, Trusts and Probate, Elderly and Vulnerable care, Matrimonial and Child law, Employment and Dispute Resolution, Residential Property and also Commercial legal services.  In addition to being Lexcel accredited, our Wills, Trusts and Probate team are also proud members of ‘Solicitors for the Elderly’ (SFE).

As part of the firm’s ongoing commitment to improve services offered to our clients, we asked our staff if they would like to join a one hour training session to become Dementia Friends. We were pleasantly surprised with the turnout and proud to announce that we have over 40 colleagues that are Dementia Friends.

With this wonderful commitment from our staff, and interest growing, we decided to choose a local charity close to everyone’s hearts and are therefore pleased to announce that Dementia Support is our chosen charity of the year.

We are honoured to work with the team at Dementia Support, and look forward to arranging charitable activities such as bake sales, dress down days, charity quizzes and other special events, in order to raise donations and awareness for the charity. We also look forward to supporting their tea at Tangmere, and other events Dementia Support hosts throughout the year.

Sonia Green, Partner at Glanvilles Chichester office says “Dementia Support’s facility Sage House is currently the only facility of its kind.  By supporting the charity, I would hope that one day it will be able to reach all those in need of its services and support in West Sussex.  I believe Sage House has the potential to become the model for community hubs throughout the UK.

Dementia is indiscriminate and can be very frightening, made even more so by a lack of knowledge and information.  The doors at Sage House are open to anyone in need of support.”

Dementia Support opened their Sage House Hub in May 2018; it is a modern, caring and functional community centre, where people living with dementia, their carers and their families can access direct support, information and advice.

Dementia Support is an exciting local charity working in partnership with voluntary and charitable organisations, the NHS, West Sussex County Council and other statutory organisations, to create a unique community hub for dementia. Designed to truly enhance the wellbeing and quality of life for local people living with dementia, their family and carers.

Sally Tabbner, Chief Executive, Dementia Support  adds, “We are delighted to have the support of Glanvilles, particularly because they have made such efforts to become Dementia Friends and have taken time to understand this disease.  We have just launched our £1 million Wayfinder Appeal with the
aim of reaching more people living with dementia and their families in our local community.  Working with local businesses such as Glanvilles will help us achieve this goal.”

Celebrating our Volunteers

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3rd – 7th June was National Volunteer Week, and we thanked our wonderful volunteers for their hard work.

We have a range of volunteers who support our activities at Sage House – such as art, music, singing, exercise classes and social groups. Volunteers also help in the Café and in the offices providing much needed support for our team.

As a thank you for our volunteers we held an Afternoon Tea, kindly sponsored by Cameron James Solicitors and Ascot Lloyd Financial. The volunteers were also presented with a certificate to acknowledge the time they have given to the charity.

Volunteers enjoying their afternoon tea and cake

What is it like to be a volunteer for Dementia Support?

Shaun Lyndon Smith is the owner of Hair at No.4 Salon in Chichester. He very kindly donates his time and expertise at our Sage House Salon on a Monday and Wednesday morning.

My experience is personal as my father had dementia and sadly my mother in law is going through a very similar thing.

Cutting hair for people living with dementia and their carers and the happy feeling of looking good is something I can give people.
Hairdressing is an artform I can give to people and give back to the community. I enjoy doing it and the people here are great so they always make me feel welcome. I’ve built up a bit of a bond with some of the clients here; they all walk past and wave and say ‘hello Shaun’.
So the more I can give the better I feel; its great fun. I couldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it.
Shaun with one of our Sage House Salon clients