Latest News

Merstham Village Club kindly nominated us as one of their chosen charities for the past year and they raised an amazing amount of £2000.00, through various social events at the club.
We are very grateful for their generosity and support; we all had a wonderful evening on 27th January when they presented the cheque to us!
A huge thank you to Imogen who chose to make a twiddly blanket as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award, and Rosie who attends our Lingfield Day Centre was the lucky recipient.
Imogen met Rosie and then tailor made the blanket for her, Rosie loves the different colours, sounds and textures of the blanket. Thank you, Imogen and good luck with the continuation of your Duke of Edinburgh awards.
A huge thank you to all of our supporters at the Godstone Donkey Derby on Bank Holiday Monday.
We had a great day and raised a fantastic £413.55!



A huge thank you to everyone at the Bryan and June Amos Foundation who recently gave us an amazing £5000! We are so grateful for their generosity at a time when we need to replenish our reserves, after the severe impact on our finances during the pandemic.

Thank you to The Charles Lewis Foundation for the £1000 grant they have given us to launch well being singing groups in East Surrey.

Thank you to the Members of the Rotary Club of Titsey and District who gave us a very generous donation of £500.
We have purchased Bagatelle & Bar Skittles, a toaster and 2 kettles for the day centres. The remaining £100.00 will be used to purchase plants for our garden, so a huge thank you to them from staff and clients!



Thank you to Pauline & Cliff for raising an amazing £815 at their garden party on the 30th May.
We would like to extend special thanks to their family and friends for all their hard work serving refreshments and potting up plants for which donations were made. A huge thank you to everyone that came and supported them, it was an enjoyable day.



We have had significant impact on our financial reserves in the past year with the constant opening and closures of our service, so we are especially grateful for the continued and generous support.

Thank You to Bletchingley Village Fair Committee
Thank you again to Bletchingley Village Fair Committee for another wonderful donation of £500 after having already donated £500 to us, in lieu of their summer fair last year.

The long term closures have had a huge impact on our finances so we appreciate such donations to help maintain the sustainability of our charity. 

We are extremely grateful for your continued support and would like to take this opportunity to wish you and all our friends and supporters a happy and healthy new year.

Thank you to Reigate Rotary Club for their generous donation of £500 which we put towards purchasing PPE for the reopening of our day centres. 

We are extremely grateful for your support.
Thank You to M&S, Redhill
Many thanks to all the staff at Marks and Spencer, Redhill. We are their Charity of the Year and so far they have managed to raise an incredible £1174.30, despite these challenging times!

A huge thank you to all the staff that nominated us and for keeping their fundraising going during this difficult period.

New NHS remote monitoring service for people with dementia seeks referrals 

 

Referrals are being sought for a new NHS Service that is using award-winning technology to remotely monitor the health of people with dementia and their carers during the coronavirus outbreak. The new, free of charge TIHM (Technology Integrated Health Management) Monitoring Service is available to anyone with a diagnosis of dementia who is a resident in Surrey and who does not live in a care home. Carers providing regular support can receive the TIHM Monitoring Service too.

 

The Service is offered by local NHS provider, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, smart home monitoring provider, Howz, Surrey County Council and Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership.  It is designed to reassure people about their health during this difficult period, alert them to potential issues and, where necessary, ensure they receive prompt treatment and support.

 

People receiving the Service are provided with a package of free, easy to use remote monitoring devices, including a digital thermometer, oximeter, tablet and sensors. The devices enable a clinically-led Monitoring Team to remotely monitor people’s body temperature, pulse, oxygen saturation and general wellbeing. If the technology identifies an issue, an alert is flagged on a digital dashboard and the Monitoring Team follows up, providing the necessary support.

 

The Monitoring Team is supported by GPs and Adult Social Care Teams and is available daily, from 8am to 8pm. If necessary, the Team will arrange for coronavirus testing and liaise with 111 and hospital services.  The TIHM Monitoring Service is limited to 1,000 homes across Surrey. Both professional and self-referral forms can be completed online at: www.sabp.nhs.uk/tihm   Alternatively, professionals can print off the referral form and email it to: rxx.tihm2@nhs.net 

 

If you would like to discuss the Service with anyone, please call the Monitoring Team on: 0800 448 0786

Pauline & Cliff raising funds for Dementia First for the 4th year running!
We are so grateful, especially under the circumstances, that Pauline and Cliff were able to fundraise for us again this year. Thanks to their determination to go ahead with a Charity Week from 1st to 5th June, instead of a garden party, they raised an amazing sum of £505.72!
As we have been unable to generate income due to all of our services being suspended and our fundraising coming to a halt, donations such as this make an immense difference to us. We are still hoping to be able to purchase a new minibus in due course.
We'd like to say a massive thank you to Pauline & Cliff and all their friends and family for their ongoing generosity and support!
Dementia Carers Survey
The Studio are getting in touch to ask if people would like to complete a survey. It will help to understand the experiences of carers under lock-down, which has particular disadvantages for people with dementia living in their own home and for their carers. The results will be made public on their website in September.
Please use this link to the Dementia Carers Survey: https://bit.ly/3dztFLf or cut and paste the QR code and tweet below. Thank you!

#Caring for someone with #dementia at home? Completing the #lockdown survey could help to improve awareness and services: https://bit.ly/3dztFLf   
The Studio at Padge Road, Unit C 2a, 6 Padge Road, Beeston, Notts, NG92JR
Would you be interested in helping, please?
Contributors wanted for Public Patient Involvement 
Staying active with dementia: participatory workshops to involve people with dementia and their carers in co-design of an exploratory study determining barriers and motivators of activity.

Staying active may be an important part of remaining independent for people with dementia. However, people with dementia are less active than recommended, even in the very early stages. So far, research has focused on getting people active by engaging them in exercise classes or groups. This is often not feasible for people with dementia as they may find it difficult to travel to classes, may not be able to afford frequent classes, may not feel fit enough or comfortable to engage with classes or simply don’t enjoy exercise. Instead of focusing on exercise, it may be important to look at people’s every-day activities, such as walking around the house or garden. These has similar benefits to engaging with exercise and may be easier to achieve for someone with dementia. However, there is very little research done on this. 

I’m interested in finding out what allows a person with dementia to stay active so that I can help develop services and policies to promote everyday activity in people with dementia. I would like to organise participatory workshops or one-to-one interviews with people with dementia and their carers to involve them in the design of a research fellowship study that seeks to identify barriers and motivators of every-day activity in people with dementia.

Contributors will advise on the following: 
  • Barriers, motivators and facilitators of every-day activity, as experienced with dementia
  • The importance of every-day activity for people with dementia.
  • Information they have received from primary or secondary care services on the importance of every-day activity or on ways to maintain every-day activity.
  • How important information is on maintaining every-day activity is to people with dementia following their diagnosis. 
Workshops will take place mid-late April and through May, and will last for approximately 1 hour. Workshops will be held on Zoom, but if this is not something you are comfortable with, we can opt for a one-to-one phonecall either. Participants will receive a 10 pound voucher for taking part and will receive a letter in the future to tell you about the findings of this piece of work. If you would like to get involved, please contact me at: riona.mcardle@newcastle.ac.uk

This work is funded by the Engage FMS Tilly Hale Award at Newcastle University and the NIHR Research Design Service North East and North Cumbria
Coronavirus Statement - 21st March 2020

Due to the current Coronavirus (COVID - 19) situation and in the best interests of protecting our vulnerable clients, the trustees have regretfully decided that we need to suspend our services at: The Byre – Pendell Road, Bletchingley Community Centre and Lingfield and Dormansland Community Centre with effect from 4.00 pm on Friday 20th March.

Our office (01883 818310)

Will remain open Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm for telephone calls only. We are working closely with both Tandridge District Council and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, as well as Voluntary Action in both areas and will keep you informed about services and help available.  

We will be keeping in regular contact via telephone with ALL our clients.

As you will be aware this is a rapidly changing situation, so please bear with us whilst we adjust and plan how best to keep you well supported.  

Please do not hesitate to give us a ring for all matters relating to dementia. We will be happy to help.
Great News for 2020 from Williamson House, Reigate Grammar
Update October 2020: We have just received £2,102.90! This is a marvellous achievement so far and in such a short space of time. We look forward to hearing about what you do next!  A huge thank you for your continued support.
We are very pleased to announce that Students and Staff at Williamson House, Reigate Grammar have chosen us as their Charity of the Year for 2020. 

Their first charity event where students wore Christmas jumpers and donated £1 each has already got them off to a fantastic start! 

Thank you so much for your support, we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
Dementia First Christmas Fair - another great success!
Many thanks to everyone that attended our Christmas Fair on Sunday 24th November. Thanks to the generous support and donation of prizes and homemade produce from Staff, Trustees, Carers, Clients, Friends, Family, Volunteers and Local Businesses a great afternoon was had by all.  
We would also like to say a special thank you to the following people that donated prizes or their time on the day:
  • Janette and team at Tesco Superstore, Caterham
  • Lyn and team at M&S, Redhill 
  • Julie and team at Waitrose & Partners, Caterham
  • Sarah Locke at Encore Arts
  • Lisa and team at Sainsbury's, Redhill
  • Joanne and team at M&S, Reigate
  • Staff at Knights Garden Centre, Nags Hall, Oxted
  • Staff and Trustees for manning the stalls
  • Jo and Jane from Barclays, Redhill for their generous support and manning the stalls on the day
An amazing total of £1,107.11 was raised! We are very grateful for all the support we receive.
We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2020!
Godstone Fete and Donkey Derby
Bank Holiday Monday 26th August

Thank you to everyone who supported our stall at the Godstone Fete & Donkey Derby on Monday 26th August.

We are grateful to everyone that helped on the day and to all those that visited our stall or made a donation. The Sand Art and Soft Toy Lucky Dip proved the most popular by far!

A wonderful £293 was raised on the day!
Bletchingley Village Fair - Sunday 30th June

Thank you to everyone who donated cakes, sweets and plants for our home produce stall and to all the helpers on the day. 

We raised £175 and received an amazing sum of £500 from the Bletchingley Village Fair Committee.

Thank you to everyone who came and supported us!

Chairman of Bletchingley Village Fair, Martin Booth, presenting Dementia First with a cheque for £500 
Eggstremely Successful! 
We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone that helped us fundraise this Easter.

Special thanks to:
  • Our talented and loyal team of knitters
  • Creme Egg donators, including: 
    • Waitrose & Partners, Caterham
    • Tescos, Caterham
    • Morrisons, Caterham 
    • Sainsbury's, Redhill
  • Everyone who kindly sold them for us, including: 
    • Rapiscan Systems Limited 
    • Spacelabs
    • Doves Barn Nursery
  • Each and everyone of you that bought one and helped us raise an incredible £680!
Thank you to Little Waitrose & Partners, Oxted 
Thank you so much for presenting Brian, one of our Trustees, with a cheque for £173

We were so pleased to hear that we are one of the beneficiaries of the Waitrose Community Matters Scheme.

All donations are currently going into our minibus fund as we hope to purchase a new minibus next year.

We are very grateful to all the staff and customers at Little Waitrose & Partners, Oxted
Incredible News - Thank You to the Limes Action Group!
We have received a donation of £10,000 from the Limes Action Group - a truly phenomenal amount! 

From all the Staff and Trustees at Dementia First we would like to say a huge thank you for your fantastic donation and all your generous support in the past.

This is an enormous contribution to our minibus fund which will enable us to reach our target far sooner than we had hoped.
Dementia First Update and Thank You Afternoon Tea - 5th April 2019
Thank you to everyone who attended - a great time was had by all!
Update & Thank You from our Trustees:
  • Just over two years ago none of us knew what the future would hold ...

    ... after Alzheimer’s Society made the decision to close all its day centres in Surrey. In the six months that followed an enormous amount of work was undertaken, a huge amount of financial support was given and a vast amount of faith was demonstrated. This afternoon is about saying thank you to each and every one of you who contributed to our brand-new charity – Dementia 1st

  • Absolutely nothing would’ve happened without the pledges ...

    ... donations and ongoing financial support we received to help launch Dementia 1st ensuring its success and most importantly securing vital services for people with dementia and their families in this part of Surrey. We are now supporting around 60 clients, most if not all of them have families so the actual number of people benefitting will be at least double that number so well over a hundred, a lot of people whose lives would be much more difficult had so many of you not fought to develop and support the organisation we have now become.

  • Our volunteers come in all shapes and sizes ...

    ... bringing with them a multitude of skills, talents and support. We have our fabulous knitters of Easter chicks and Christmas snowmen, sellers of raffle tickets, my fellow trustees on the governing body, shakers of tins, helpers in our services, IT professionals, and bakers of cakes - thank you Emily for the magnificent cake and many, many more who I have not mentioned, the list really is endless.  We have also had support from various companies including Punter Southall Health & Protection whose staff are here today manning the kitchen and serving you all.

  • Lastly but by no means least I must mention our staff ...

    ... the majority of whom took a leap of faith by agreeing to work for Dementia 1st without even knowing whether they would be paid at the end of the month and who also put many additional hours in on a voluntary basis.  

  • Going forward ...

    ... we are not resting on our laurels though. We have just started up a new service in Lingfield one day a week and are exploring the opportunity to start up other satellite services within this part of Surrey.  We would like to develop more support for carers – there is a questionnaire available here which we would love you to complete, tell us what you feel is missing, what would make a difference to your lives.  If you don’t ask you don’t get, we can’t promise to deliver everything you’d like but we can certainly make a start.  Look at what has been achieved in the last 24 months and just think of where we could be in five or ten years time! 


    WE ARE ALL ONE TEAM, Dementia 1st would not and could not exist without each and every one of you here today, so a massive thank you to you all.

New Venture in Lingfield - Launched on 25th March 2019
More Fantastic Fundraising at Knights!

Thank you so much to Knights Garden Centre, Nags Hall, Oxted for their tremendous support over the Christmas period. A magnificent total of £1,796.55 was raised.

We appreciate all the hard work by staff and everyone involved and we are very grateful to everyone who supported us.

All donations are currently going into our minibus fund as we are hoping to replace our bus in two years’ time.
Help at Gatwick for people with Hidden Disabilities
Lanyards are available at Gatwick Airport for vulnerable passengers or anyone needing a little extra help, including those with dementia. To pick up a free lanyard, please go to one of the Assistance Reception areas found at the airport. 

Gatwick will be happy to give you a lanyard, even if you haven't requested one. If you are wearing the lanyard, airport staff will recognise that you have a hidden disability and that you may need a little extra help or time. 

Here is how to find out more: