I started out running 2 day centre's for Alzheimer's Society in Bath.  One closed in January 2020 due to funding.  The other we hoped would be saved, unfortunately Covid happened and that brought it to an end.  Our clients were left with very little choice of alternative services which met their individual needs, so me and 2 of my team who were looking at redundancy, ending a vocation that we are so passionate about.  Worse still our clients families were put in an impossible situation where they would have to make decisions on how long they could continue to care for their loved ones without the respite break we gave them weekly.

It was at this point  'The Forget Me Not Club' project started to become real.  Using my management experience and savings plus my colleagues support we decided to open up our own day club.  It was hard finding premises that could meet our needs and that didnt cost the earth, we looked at quite a few options along the way with no luck, then we had a break and got offered the use of Saltford Community Hall.  

So on 6th October 2020 we opened for the first time.

Of course we had many sleepless nights worrying if it would work, could we offer our clients what they needed and would they want to come. But worry soon went to excitement as the calls came in from our original clients families asking how do we get a place? We sent out a lot of publicity and social workers, community mental health teams and hospital teams soon knew about us and asked how they referred people to us.  We currently open 3 days a week and have 18 regular attendees who come between 1 - 3 times a week.  The feedback we have has been very positive, and although our set up is very basic due to the restrictions of the venue, but we make the best of it and ensure that every day is a positive experience for all.  Feedback from our families is all very positive, and our clients leave us every day with a smile on their faces and looking forward to their next visit.  Me and the team never start o rend the day wishing we hadn't done this.  We keep costs low so that families can get the most out of us without breaking the bank and this is very important to us, as despite Dementia being a life limiting illness, our families do not get the financial support others do. Everyone has a hot home cooked meal each day with plenty of biscuits, cakes and drinks. Our oldest client is 98 years old, he has followed us from our last place, and says "its the only place I will go". Because we keep our numbers low, we can give more 121 support which in turn allows us to give people who other services cant manage a chance to have fun. We run many stimulating activities and exercise classes, do baking, sing, dance and generally have fun. If there is something someone wants to do, we try to make it happen. We see the person before the illness, and this means we really do get to know the person

Project Up Date Dec 2022

We moved into Bath City Football Club in July 2021.  We now have our own room and kitchen and have become part of the local community and the football club. Our service has gone from strength to strength.  There has been some scary times along the way, and I have had to forego wages for 2 years but now I am able to take a very small wage as well as working for the local NHS on my days away from the centre.  It has all been worth the struggle.  We have delivered in excess of over 40,000 hours of support to the most vulnerable people in our community.  Our families have changed over time but we have never lost anyone due to them not wanting to attend.  I pride myself in helping the families on the next step and encourage them to keep in touch even when they leave us.  I love everyone of them.  They have given me a reason to get up everyday, they have helped me beat my own depression and given me a chance to do what I love to do, help others.  Our next step is to become a CIC and spread our wings further so we can deliver remote services to our more rural communities.  My staff have been ever faithfull and have been the back bone of the service, they hold me up when things get touch and they love what they do.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives, our families and clients are wonderful.  To hear a client say "I love you" makes you beam with pride.  Even better is when they do an activity, and you watch them come into their own.  We have men who have learnt how to enjoy baking, and I must say they are very good.  We have raised money to get activities brought in and now have regular seated exercise with Paula, Singing, and Boccia sessions which everyone loves.  The summer saw us do our first trips and this was wonderful.  To get our clients out and about was just so rewarding and they even went to a evening concert!  We will not give up our work, with your help we will continue to build on what we do and enhance more peoples lives.  Follow us on Facebook - Forget Me Not Dementia Club.  You will see all the fun we have. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for every donation made, without you this would not have been possible. So we end 2022 with alot of ambition and alot of grateful thanks to everyone who has supported us along the way. We also remember the wonderful people we have lost over the years, they are all in our minds always.