Dementia charity saved from closure by lifeline cash injection

MCRJourno

A National Lottery grant of over £360,000 has saved a Manchester charity which supports people living with dementia and carers from potential closure.

Together Dementia Support, whose staff and volunteers support 1,000 people a year has been awarded £366,827 by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Over a three-year period the funding will enable it to continue running and the expand its services.

Chief executive Sally Ferris said: "The need for our services is greater than ever and is only going to increase. Diagnosis rates are going up, and more and more families are struggling to cope with the impact of dementia on their lives.

"With our future more secure we can develop new work, help sustain a better quality of life for more people living with dementia and their carers, and amplify their voices."

The charity, which is based at the Kath Locke Centre in Moss Side runs weekly social activities such as games, park walks, music, baking, choir practice, day trips, and a befriending service.

It also offers free training plus advice, advocacy and micro-respite opportunities such as dementia cafés and other events for family carers.

Sally set up the charity as a small organisation of volunteers after working in the NHS and adult social care for more than 15 years.

One service user who cares for her mum said without the charity "we’d be in a world of pain. We deal with real humans who empathise, they know what you’re going through and genuinely care. We’d be lost without them."

Together Dementia Support currently receives 300 new referrals each year with demand rising.