Dementia Friendly Chesterfield’s Memory Market Place success sparks return to the Home of the Spireites

The event, first established by staff from the Specialist Day Services team of local healthcare Trust Derbyshire Community Health Services, aims to provide information, education and raise awareness of support for people living with dementia, their friends, relatives, and carers as well as health care professionals. To achieve this aim, over thirty organisations ranging from local groups and firms to national charities will each have a stall with information and activities for attendees to try out.

There will be hot drinks and scones on offer as refreshments for guests and visitors. An action-packed assortment of activities is available with sessions including falls prevention exercises, memory motivating music and sing-a-longs, a first aid taster with St John Ambulance, a dementia dance and guest speakers.

Chesterfield College students are once again attending the event as part of an ongoing collaboration with the Dementia Friendly Chesterfield group for their Health and Social Care students to have the opportunity to learn about dementia, how it affects people and how they can be supported.

Many of last year’s attendees commented that the event was a fantastic way to bring the Dementia community together. It not only benefitted the people with a dementia diagnosis and their companions, but the stallholder organisations too. A success we are sure this year's event will be even bigger than.

Wendy Blunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s Health, and Wellbeing Officer said: "We are very grateful to the football club for their generous offer of hosting our Memory Market Place event at the stadium this year. The free event is a fantastic opportunity for people who have dementia, their carers, family and friends to drop in to seek advice and any help they might need as well as to browse stalls and talk to people who understand about living with dementia. We hope it will be a wonderful occasion for all to engage with the many different organisations and agencies who have come together to offer help and guidance.”

Dementia Friendly Chesterfield is always looking to improve what it can do to help the community and to be as representative as possible of the community it serves. With this in mind, if you would like to consider joining the group, either as a person with lived experience of Dementia (a patient, carer, relative or friend) or as an organisation or care professional working with people with Dementia, please contact Wendy Blunt, on (01246) 959657 for more information.