Hello

In this month’s newsletter…

1. Welcome Message From our CEO, Sally

2. Our May Highlights

3. Dementia Action Week 2026

4. Pop Up Cafes - The Fabulous Forgetful Cafe

5. Dates for Your Diary

6. What We’ve Been Reading, Watching and Listening to

Welcome Message from our CEO, Sally

Welcome to our May Newsletter – and thanks for reading it!

What glorious weather we’ve been having! What a gift these warm, sunny days are when we don’t expect them. The good weather has enabled us to take people outside to do gardening, walking and games. I hope you’ve been able to soak up some sunshine too.

At TDS we’re doing some really hard thinking at the moment. We want and need to support more families in many different ways but we also want to keep our groups and one-one services for our members with dementia going. We have a shortfall of income compared to our expenditure this year, partly because all our costs have increased. We need to increase the charges for the services, including the transport. 

We are thinking of having two different charges, one for those on low income benefits and a higher charge for those who aren’t. We are also thinking of making all groups 3 hours long so that your relative has more time with us, and you carers get a longer break.

So, we’ll be consulting about these changes throughout May. Please let us know if these changes will work for you and your relative.

Our May Highlights:

• Memorial Walk

  A Memorial Walk at Wythenshawe Park brought bereaved carers together for a gentle morning of connection, with some attending their first outing since their loss. People shared their experiences, supported each other, and one family is now fundraising for TDS in memory of their loved one. The morning finished with coffee and conversation, leaving people feeling less alone.

• Male Members & Carers Cooking

  At two of our Friendship and Activity Groups, members have been getting involved in cooking and making sandwiches (including patties at East Manchester) ahead of Dementia Action Week. It’s been especially popular with our male members, who’ve really enjoyed getting stuck in. It’s also meant everyone could share some fresh, home-cooked food, so we’re planning to keep it going.

• UK Dementia Care Awards finalist

  Together Dementia Support were finalists in the UK Dementia Care Awards for our work supporting carers and providing vital breaks. Beth and Sally attended the ceremony this week, where our work was highly praised. They also met other organisations doing great work and came back with plenty of new ideas.

Dementia Action Week 2026 - Celebrating What People Can Do

Dementia Action Week is taking place this May, led by Alzheimer’s Society, and this year at Together Dementia Support, we’re focusing on something simple but powerful: celebrating what people living with dementia can do.

Across the week, our community will be leading the way, hosting, creating, and performing. TDS will be welcoming guests at our Fabulous Forgetful Café, showcasing artwork and sharing moments of joy through music. These events are about challenging assumptions and highlighting ability, not limitation.

Alongside the week’s activities, we’re also aiming to raise £2,000 to continue supporting people living with dementia across Manchester. Our online fundraising campaign will launch in the lead-up to the week, and every contribution will help us keep these vital services running.

We’d love you to be part of it! A lot of work has gone into planning these events for Dementia Action Week, please do attend an event, support the campaign, or help spread the word.

Find out what’s on and join us this Dementia Action Week in our ‘Upcoming TDS Events’ section of this newsletter.

Pop-Up Cafés: The Fabulous Forgetful Café

One of the highlights of our Dementia Action Week programme is the Fabulous Forgetful Café – a pop-up experience with a difference. Here, some of our members living with dementia (from the Moss Side and PY Friendship and Activity Groups) will be welcoming guests and serving food that they have prepared themselves to challenge assumptions around dementia.

Taking place at Kath Locke Centre on Monday, 18 May and Thursday, 21 May, the café offers more than just a place to eat. It’s an opportunity to see first-hand the confidence, skills and personality of our members, while gently challenging stigma.

Our members have been busy preparing menus, cooking food and practising roles ahead of the event, and the result is something genuinely special.

It’s only £10 for soup, a sandwich, drink and scone!

Come along, take a seat, and experience it for yourself. We still have tickets available to buy!

The Mental Capacity Act, Best Interest Decisions and DoLS

A few months ago, Mark Cooper from the University of Manchester gave us an overview of the Mental Capacity Act.

Mental Capacity 

Lacking capacity is decision-specific — someone may lack capacity around where they live but retain capacity to choose what to wear. To have capacity, a person must be able to understand, weigh, retain and communicate relevant information.

Best Interest Decisions 

When someone lacks capacity for a specific decision, a Best Interest decision is made, weighing the person's past and present wishes alongside family and professional views. If a health and welfare Power of Attorney exists, that attorney is usually the final decision maker (assuming that the professionals agree that they are acting in the person’s Best Interests); if there’s no LPA, it falls to the social worker or doctor.

DoLS 

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards protect people in hospitals or care homes who lack capacity to consent to their care arrangements. Safeguards include an independent assessment and an appointed ‘Relevant Person’s Representative’ (RPR) to advocate for the person. Unfortunately, the system is overwhelmed, with average waiting times of 144 days instead of the required 7.

Please phone Beth and the Carer Support Team if you have any questions or need help with these issues.

Dates for Your Diary: Upcoming TDS Events

Working Carers Evening Social

Wednesday 6 May 2026

Are you struggling to make our day time events due to work? Join us at our evening carers social to meet other carers in a similar position to you and get support. We are meeting at The Didsbury pub (852 Wilmslow Road, M20 2SG) at 6 pm. Please email Paula if you would like to join: [email protected] 

Home, Heart & Connection: Exhibition Launch

Wednesday 20 May, 1-3 pm

Arcadia Library & Leisure Centre, Levenshulme
Celebrate the opening of a new art installation created by people living with dementia in collaboration with local artist Michelle Ayavoro. Please email [email protected] for more information.

Cream Tea & Brass Band Celebration

Friday 22 May, 2-5 pm

Chorlton Central Church
An afternoon of live music from NOVA Brass, cream tea, and community connection.

Great Manchester Run 2026 – Join Team TDS

Sunday 31 May 2026

Take on the Great Manchester Run and support people living with dementia across Manchester. Whether you run, walk, or roll, this is your chance to be part of Team TDS. We still have 15 places available for the 10K.

TDS cover your £55 entry fee and provides an official vest. In return, we ask participants to raise a minimum of £150, helping fund vital support for people living with dementia and their carers.

Carers Well-Being Evening

Wednesday 10 June 2026

We are offering a free well-being evening this Carers Week (Monday 8 June to Sunday 14 June). On Wednesday 10 June, our evening will give carers the chance to take part in tai chi, a perfume making workshop, ping pong, and have a massage! It also includes a healthy meal. Please email [email protected] to book your place.

Derbyshire Three Peaks Challenge

Saturday 8 August 2026

Take on a brand new challenge for Together Dementia Support with our fully guided Derbyshire Three Peaks trek. This 33km route covers Kinder Scout, Bleaklow and Higher Shelf Stones – a tough but rewarding day in some of the Peak District’s most stunning scenery.

There’s no sign-up fee, just a minimum fundraising target of £150. You’ll be supported by experienced guides from Tink Adventures every step of the way.

Places are limited to 20 participants.

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

Fiddle Activities

Sally and Jo are producing more cheap ‘fiddle activities’ for people with dementia to do as the problem of boredom. This is something that has been brought to our attention. You can use the link below to buy fiddle toys. We are also going to make our own fiddle activities. One idea is a box of large nuts and another of bolts. You then ask the person to help put a nut on each bolt. If you would like to test one of our boxes, please get in touch.

Still Me, Sabina Brennan

Available on Spotify or Audible as an audio-book

Still Me reframes the job of caring for someone with dementia as a partnership. Both you and your loved one deserve respect, support and the latest research to help you on your journey.