Specialist dementia charity Reminiscence Learning has received a £5,700 grant from Cooper Associations to help ensure the Archie Project continues in Wellington.
Thanks to funding from Taunton Round Table, the project was launched in the five primary schools in central Wellington in September 2019, linking the schools with local care homes and sheltered housing schemes, together with businesses and service providers to dispel the fear and stigma that can be associated with dementia.
The aim was to create a more dementia-friendly community and the charity had been looking at ways to ensure the scheme could continue. The donation, coupled with a joint fundraising event with the schools involved, will now ensure this is possible.
Kevin Parsons, Trustee from The Cooper Associates Foundation, said: “Our Foundation is delighted to support the Archie Project via Reminiscence Learning.
“The funding we have provided will help enable a programme in Wellington which links primary schools with a care home throughout the academic year, empowering children with the knowledge and life skills to confidently engage with the older generation, including people with a dementia by providing dementia awareness for the children, teachers and community members.
“This will help reduce the fear and stigma often associated with dementia, and also improve the quality of life for people living with dementia – providing opportunities for meaningful engagement with younger people.”
Emma Green, Manager of Reminiscence Learning, added: “We are so excited to receive the grant from The Cooper Associates Foundation to help us continue the Archie Project here in Wellington where we are based.
“The five schools and linked care settings have really embraced the project this year and we are looking at ways to research the impact that saturating a small town has, we feel this will provide strong evidence of the benefit of the project for the future.
“We really appreciate the interest that the team at Cooper Associates have shown in Archie and look forward to welcoming them to some of the events that take part during the academic year so they can see exactly how the funding has been used.”
Join Somerset Chamber of Commerce to give your business a stronger voice both locally, regionally and nationally. Combined with local town chambers, we represent over 2,000 businesses across Somerset with a direct line to policy-makers at all levels.
