Dementia Awareness Week

Dementia Awareness Week - East Grinstead Turns the Town Blue

The East Grinstead Dementia Action Alliance is turning East Grinstead Blue for Dementia Awareness Week 2021.

The week is aimed at raising awareness of Dementia which affects over 1 million people, and was a diagnosis in 1:4 people who have died from Covid 19, here in the UK. East Grinstead strives to be Dementia Friendly and is nationally recognised as so with the 50+ members of the dementia action alliance in the town who display a window sticker to state that it is part of their business ethos, to help people with dementia to live as normally as they can.

This Dementia action week will include a Blue Trail starting in Railway Approach and ending at the McIndoe Statue. Businesses along the route have been leafletted to ask them to put something blue in their window as part of a fun trail for individuals and families to follow as they are out and about in East Grinstead, and over 80 have replied positively. What will the blue items be?

A checklist naming the businesses that have pledged to take part is downloadable from the East Grinstead Town Council or Age UK (East Grinstead and District) websites. This is just for fun to encourage people back in to the town centre as we emerge from Covid and also to think about those who are living with Dementia. To encourage spacing times out during the Covid restrictions the trail will last for two weeks from 17th to 30th May.

There is no cost to be involved but if participants want to make a contribution they are asked to make a donation to the Alzheimers Society.

The Town Council with the help of the Sackville Lacemakers, East Grinstead Embroiderers, The Soroptimists and individual volunteers have a display in the town of knitted, crocheted and printed forget-me-nots (the emblem of Dementia Friends) hanging in trees, from lampposts and a forget me not chain border at the McIndoe Lawn, along with a display at the War Memorial.

Town Clerk Julie Holden, who Chairs the East Grinstead Dementia Friendly Community/ Action Alliance said; a huge thank you to everyone who has helped to turn the town blue for Dementia, the diseases that steal our loved ones from us need research, but most of all better understanding as to how we can support family and friends to remain independent and get the most out of life for as long as possible, kindness and patience remain the key issues, which starts with awareness.

You can download a list of the businesses involved here and follow the trail.