Hello

In this month’s newsletter…

1. Welcome message from our CEO, Sally

2. Our June highlights

3. Dementia Action week 2026 Celebrating What People Can Do

4. Kath & Dave’s Dementia Adventure, Wye Valley in May

5. Manchester City Council’s Carers’ 3 Year Strategy

6. Dates for Your Diary: Upcoming TDS Events

7. What we’ve been Reading, Watching and Listening to

Welcome Message from our CEO, Sally

Welcome to June’s Newsletter. This is the month of the longest day. We can easily feel that life is moving very fast but, as poet Donna Ashworth says, it can be a good time to take stock:

‘Summer solstice is upon us.

We are halfway through this year

Take a beat, retreat, reflect and pause

To see your journey clear’

Do come to a Dementia Café or the Carers’ Wellbeing Evening. We can guarantee you some good company and opportunities to laugh and relax. 

We’re still feeling buoyed by a great Dementia Action Week where some of our members with dementia really excelled. This week we’re celebrating our amazing volunteers who give so much to our charity. And then next week we’ll be celebrating all carers, telling the world how amazing you all are whilst saying clearly that you shouldn’t have to work and battle so hard, and should be better rewarded. Look out for a brightly-coloured envelope dropping through your letterbox – a small thankyou from us to you.

Our June Highlights:

• Great Manchester Run

  A huge congratulations and thank you to everyone who walked or ran for Team TDS at this year’s Great Manchester Run. Supporters took part in both the 10K and Half Marathon, raising an incredible £9,021 so far, with donations still coming in. Every mile completed and every pound raised will help us continue supporting people living with dementia and their carers across Greater Manchester.

• Male Carers Evening

  Dan lead a successful male carers evening last week which was a nice intimate setting attracting new male carers, the next one is:

  Wednesday 24 June, 6.30 pm at The Lloyds, 617 Wilbraham Road, M21 9AN

Dementia Action Week 2026 - Celebrating What People Can Do

This year's Dementia Action Week was a fantastic celebration of the talents, creativity and contributions of people living with dementia, while also raising vital funds to support our work across Greater Manchester.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we raised an incredible £1,672, including donations and fundraising events. Every pound raised will help us continue providing groups, activities and support for people living with dementia and their carers.

Highlights from the week included our Fabulous Forgetful Cafés, where people living with dementia took the lead in preparing and serving homemade food to guests, our Home, Heart & Connection exhibition showcasing artwork and personal stories, and our Cream Tea & Brass Band Fundraiser, which brought the community together for an afternoon of music and refreshments.

Dementia Action Week is about more than raising awareness. It's an opportunity to challenge misconceptions, celebrate what people living with dementia can achieve with the right support, and remind ourselves of the importance of community. Thank you to everyone who donated, attended an event, volunteered or helped spread the word.

Kath & Dave’s Dementia Adventure, Wye Valley in May

At lunchtime on Monday, we met our new companions at a Garden Centre café before beginning our Dementia Adventure. There were twelve of us altogether: four people living with dementia, four partners or carers, Alison the leader, and three experienced volunteers. From the start, the volunteers provided thoughtful support, chatting with David while Kath enjoyed independent walks and swims, confident he was safe and cared for.

We stayed in a converted Dutch barn overlooking rolling hills, with rescued birds and a pond nearby providing constant interest. The programme was varied and well-paced, with everything carefully organised and dementia-friendly. Activities included feeding alpacas, tasting traditional cider, assisted cycling, boat and steam train trips, and a pub lunch overlooking the River Wye. Evening entertainment from local singers added to the fun.

Although expensive, we felt the four-day trip was worth every penny. Preparation was excellent, with detailed phone calls, forms and a Zoom meeting beforehand to ensure everyone’s needs were understood.

Dementia Adventure is a charity dedicated to improving life for people living with dementia and their carers, offering holidays, training, support and bursaries for those needing financial help.

Manchester City Council’s Carers’ 3 Year Strategy

This strategy has recently been signed off and has some great ambitions:

• A centralised Carer Support Hub

• A Carers’ Navigation Service

• Expansion of respite options – including a sitting service, new care home respite beds, volunteer-led respite and respite options for carers and cared-for together

• To improve carers’ mental health

• To strengthen financial support and advice for carers

• Investment in carers’ peer support

• Develop future planning for carers

 We’re pleased that TDS Carer Champion, Margaret Booth, attends regular oversight meetings about the strategy and will do her best to ensure that these ambitions become reality. 

Together Dementia Support would love to be part of a funded Carer Navigation service and for our 1:1 and group services to be recognised as carer respite, as this would then make our services sustainable and able to grow

Dates for Your Diary: Upcoming TDS Events

Derbyshire Three Peaks Challenge

Date: Saturday 8 August 2026

Time: Meet at 8:00 am (8:30 am start), finishing around 6:00 pm

Location: Sett Valley Trail Car Park, Hayfield, SK22 2ES

Take on an unforgettable 33km guided trek across Derbyshire's three highest peaks – Kinder Scout, Bleaklow and Higher Shelf Stones – while raising vital funds for Together Dementia Support.

There is no sign-up fee, and participants are asked to raise a minimum of £150 in sponsorship. Experienced leaders from Tink Adventures will guide and support the group throughout the day.

Places are limited to 20 people, so book early to secure your place.

Carers Wellbeing Evening

We are offering a wellbeing evening this Carers Week, including tai chi, a healthy meal, massages, ping pong and more. Please contact us to book: [email protected]

Dementia Public Meeting

What we’ve been Reading, Watching and Listening to:

Sally recently met Gareth Williams who has set up a not-for-profit company, the Community Story Hub, to help individuals and organisations share and record spoken memories and stories, using an App. You can even produce a Memory Book that has pictures and the sound of the person’s voice. We’re going to find out more – about the cost etc – and will let you know.

For carers with loved ones in care homes – Shared Care for Carers Resource Launch

Tide is a national network of carers who provide training, peer support and other helpful resources. Their latest resource is a guide about getting the best out of shared care in a care home. As family, you shouldn’t ever feel “I’m just a visitor” or “They know best”. This guide will help you to work WITH the care home staff and how to problem solve if things aren’t going well.