New club in Southwater for people with dementia

The new club will be open every Wednesday between 10am and 3pm at Southwater Leisure Centre, Pevensey Road, Southwater.

Mandy Jones Dementia Services Manager for Age UK Horsham District commented: “We are delighted to be opening a Club for people with dementia in Southwater.

“The local leisure centre is a great venue in the heart of the community, and we are looking forward to welcoming new members and are committed to ensuring that everyone enjoys their time with us.”

During the day members will enjoy a wide range of dementia friendly activities which are arranged with individual’s interests and abilities in mind.

All activities, snacks and a hot two course lunch are included in the fee.

The experienced club team of staff and volunteers will work with up to 12 people who have a diagnosis of dementia and are cared for by a family member or friend.

This is the newest club for people with dementia to be launched by Age UK Horsham District and supported by West Sussex County Council.

Mandy Jones explained; “We aim to provide local clubs for people with dementia across the whole of the Horsham District, we currently run clubs in Horsham (Mondays) Storrington (Tuesdays and Fridays) and now Southwater (Wednesdays).

“It is important that we are able to offer clubs in different locations and close to where people live.

“We offer the support on different days of the week as it offers Carers a choice of which day suits them best.

“One of the most important aspects of our clubs are the ability to offer a much needed day of respite to those looking after a loved one living with dementia. We are able to do this by offering support, information and occasional carers meetings.”

Mandy added: “We work in in partnership with West Sussex Carers Support and are looking to open a further club for people with dementia in the Horsham District before the end of the year.

“I am keen to hear from those who would benefit from a dementia club in their area.”

If anyone is interested in booking a free trial day at any of our clubs or just want to know about the work the local Age UK Horsham District team delivers please contact Neil, our clubs administrator on 01403 751327.

We are also interested to hear from potential volunteers from across the district.

For more information visit www.ageukhorshamdistrict.org.uk