SOUTH Brent & District Caring is celebrating a £2,060 grant that will allow it to improve the fortnightly coffee mornings it arranges for elderly and isolated people.

The charity has received the cash through bank Santander’s Community Plus fund to include ‘nostalgia work’ in the mornings.

The grant has meant that a new coffee morning coordinator, Mandy Haley, has been appointed, and plans are underway to find out what kinds of things attendees would like to do. SBADC hopes to introduce some memoir work, music and films, allowing those present to reminisce about their past and share their experiences.

The charity’s coordinator Sue Burgess went along to the local branch of Santander in Totnes to receive the cheque from branch manager Faye Joint and her team. Faye explained that any local charity supporting disadvantaged people can get a simple application form from a branch or online, which can be returned to any branch to bid for a grant.

As part of the drive to establish a group of ‘dementia friendly parishes around the Avon’ – similar to the organisation that exists around the river Yealm – SBADC is running a series of dementia awareness sessions. The sessions are aimed at anyone who is, or has a family member who is suffering from dementia.

The first will take place on Friday, November 20 in the Old School Community Centre, South Brent, from 10am to 2pm, with a light lunch, and Maxine Kennedy and Liz Hitchins will discuss how they established Dementia Friendly Parishes around the Yealm.

Maxine will also be in attendance at further sessions, all running between 5pm and 7pm at: Rattery Village Hall on Wednesday, November 25; St James’ Church, Avonwick on Tuesday, December 1; and Diptford Village Hall on Thursday, December 3.

Contact SBADC on 01364 700282 or email [email protected] if you would like more details.