St Gwladys Church Hall, Bargoed, has relaunched its Thursday coffee mornings as a ‘Dementia Friendly Cafe’.
As well as serving tea coffee and biscuits, the dementia friendly cafe will also provide accessible games and simple conversation prompts so that every visitor can feel a part of the community.
Memory aids, in the form of archive photographs of local town centres which featured in Caerphilly County Borough Council’s popular ‘Choose the High Street Past & Present’ exhibitions, are also available for visitors to view and have been provided by the Town Centre Management Team.
The volunteers who run the cafe have attended training and are now equipped to support those living with dementia.
Cllr Sean Morgan, Cabinet Member with responsibility for town centres, said: “I am delighted that St Gwladys Church Hall has now launched a dementia friendly café, which will provide a relaxed environment for those living with dementia to enjoy a cafe experience.
“Thank you to the Council’s Town Centre Management Team for providing a range of archive photographs for visitors to enjoy”.
A shorter Holy Communion service is also held in St Gwladys Church from 10-10.30am, aimed at those who find longer, variable services harder to follow.
Father Rob Lindsay of St Gwladys Church said: “I look forward to welcoming visitors to our new Dementia Friendly Cafe, which is made so worthwhile when you see visitors reminiscing together as a result of the conversation prompts provided.
The cafe is open from 9.30am until 11.30am every Thursday and is free of charge, with a suggested donation of £1 to cover costs.
Welcoming St Gwladys’ work, Cllr Carol Andrews, Dementia Champion for Caerphilly County Borough Council, said: “Well done to St Gwladys Church Hall for relaunching their coffee mornings as a dementia friendly café and thank you to the volunteers who have embraced their new dementia friendly status”.
For more information on visiting the cafe or becoming a Dementia Friend, you can call the Church Hall office on 01443 836600.