REMINISCENCE Learning based at the Counting House, Tonedale Mill, had a busy week and made a real splash – partly due to the inclement weather – for National Dementia Action Week.

A Memory Cafe garden party celebrated the area and Stuart from Longforth House, who helps the team by watering the garden, and Mayor of Wellington Cllr Gary James and charity mascot Archie proudly unveiled a new dementia-friendly sign.

Mark Jones from Wellington Co-op also attended, as the store has funded a fully planted large wooden container.

The event also included a steel drum performance with plenty of audience participation and cream teas – but unfortunately persistent rain forced the party indoors.

The team at the charity have been creating a multi-sensory area for everyone to enjoy since bringing back a lot of the plants from their entry for a designer garden at Taunton Flower Show last year.

Thanks to a new project linking individuals with early onset dementia and other mental health needs with children at Otterhead Forest School, the garden now also has furniture made out of pallets at these sessions.

The next day brought better weather and more dementia-friendly signage, this time in the town centre. The team were joined by the Mayor, Cllr Gary James, and Ian Jolley of MJC Financial Services.

Gary was armed with a screwdriver and with Ian placed the sign on the side of MJC in South Street. The sign will be a visual reminder of the simple things people can do in their day-to-day lives to be more dementia-friendly.

Then the following morning, the team gathered outside the sorting office in High Street for red- and yellow-themed singing and cycling.

Reminiscence Learning adopted the red and yellow theme for Dementia Action Week, as they are the last colours to be lost in the ageing eye and so are easily recognisable by someone with dementia.

MP for Wellington Rebecca Pow joined the group, who sang, danced and cycled under umbrellas, through the rain storms, led by Gibby Swaine on accordion from the shelter of a phone box.

The team would like to thank everyone for their support during National Dementia Action Week. For more information on the community sessions, training and events Reminiscence Learning provides contact the team on 01823 668676 or visit [email protected]