Welcome to the Four Rivers Dementia Alliance - an information hub

November - It Has Been An Especially Busy Time

1/12/2025

It has been an especially busy time during November.

• I met with Councillor Margaret Grafton (Ermington Parish Council Dementia Friendly Lead) to talk about a starting point for working towards making Ermington a dementia friendly parish (03/11/25). We are planning to catch up again in January to put plans in place to move forward with discussed actions.

• I attended a parish meeting in Harford (05/11/25) to talk about the work of 4RDA and the support available to become dementia friendly. Two councillors agreed to be co-leads for dementia friendly work.

• I met with Suzi Garrod (Chief Executive and Dementia and Palliative Care Lead, Tumbly Hill Wellbeing Hub in Kingsbridge) to discuss memory cafes (25/11/25).

• Subsequent to the presentation I gave about my role with 4RDA and how the parishes are starting to work on becoming dementia friendly, with support, at the South Hams Dementia Forum in Totnes (15/10/25), South Dartmoor Community Energy, who were present, asked me to deliver a dementia awareness session to their team. I did this out in South Brent (26/11/25). They expressed interest in becoming a dementia friendly organisation so I am currently in the process of arranging a meeting to discuss this further with them.

• I had an information stand alongside my 4RDA colleagues at the Ivybridge Christmas Festival (28/11/25). This was a lovely community event and we spoke to and gave information out to a few people. I will be catching up with Councillor Crystal Cao (Ivybridge Town Council dementia friendly lead) in the new year to visit businesses in the town with her, share the dementia friendly guide for retailers and offer support to them to become dementia friendly.

• The dementia friendly guide I wrote for schools has now been printed. The guide for retailers is still currently being edited before going for printing. I have also completed the draft of the dementia friendly guide for GP practices which is going to be edited next.

A few other things in the pipeline are:

• I will be attending the Erme and Yealm Caring Alliance meeting in Ivybridge (10/12/25) and will give an update on the work of both 4RDA and Dementia Friendly Parishes Around the Yealm.

• I will be attending the 4RDA meeting (15/12/25) to give an update as above.

• I will start drafting an information pack for the care sector.

• I am booked to attend Modbury Parish Council’s Community Engagement Committee meeting (13/01/26) to discuss ways of starting to work on making Modbury more dementia friendly.