Dementia Friends Ambassador Volunteer Carl shares why he is passionate about volunteering and inspiring young people to take action for people living with dementia.
"I became a Dementia Friends Ambassador (then Champion) in 2018. I was actively involved in my community as part of a team running Billericay Community Cinema and serving at the time as a Town Councillor. I had recently moved into a career in Social Care and recognised the importance of the community becoming more dementia friendly, so saw the opportunity to become a Dementia Friends Ambassador as a great way of extending my volunteering and making our town more inclusive.
"I’m proud to say that in my time as a Dementia Friends Ambassador I have created nearly 2,000 Dementia Friends!
"Another one of my proudest moments was the formation of the Billericay Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) which a small group of volunteers and I started within a couple of months of becoming a Dementia Friends Ambassador. Over the last seven years, it has gone from strength to strength.
"Something that stands out about the Dementia Friends Sessions is how accessible the content is, and I really enjoy listening to all the great ideas from those attending of the small ways they will help people living with dementia and make a difference in their communities. My son who is now in Year 2 recently attended his first Dementia Friends Session and has a passion for dementia at a young age thanks to this programme!
"During my tenure as Chairman at the Billericay Dementia Action Alliance we embarked on some incredible projects, the most successful being the Dementia Friendly Schools Award. Local primary schools in Billericay hold annual Dementia Friends Sessions for all year groups and volunteer at the local memory café, and care homes.
"Thanks to the incredible leadership of Maureen the new Chair, and the rest of the Billericay DAA team, including Michael Wade, Head Teacher at Quilters Federation of Schools, this project has continued to thrive. The children also produce artwork and creative content for Dementia Action Week to display in the high street and commit to a school wide action plan to become more dementia friendly.
"In my time as a Dementia Friends Ambassador, I’ve delivered sessions in lots of interesting places. Recently I delivered a session outdoors at a riding centre, so the horses and ponies were interested to see what was going on too! Thanet Disabled Riding Centre is based on the grounds of a care home, so residents often pop over to spend time with the horses and attend joint events. Therefore, it was important for their team of staff and volunteers to enhance their understanding of how they could support their neighbours.
"The session was well received, and it was great to have the support of Chartwell House by Boutique Care Homes in arranging this session alongside the Thanet Dementia Action Alliance. It is fantastic to see other communities forging ahead in making their localities more dementia friendly."
Would you like to share your story? We'd love to hear from you at dementiafriends@alzheimers.org.uk
