Dementia support café opens in rural Shropshire

A new dementia support café has opened in rural Shropshire as part of Age UK's expanding services.

The venture was set up by Emma Wilde, manager for wellbeing services at Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin's branch of the charity.

Sessions run once a week at The Pavilion Community Hub and Library in the village of Pontesbury.

Mrs Wilde said the aim of the "safe space" café was to "stimulate and motivate" people with dementia.

"Motivation can lower once they have a dementia diagnosis," she said.

The sessions were moved to The Pavilion due to it having more outdoor space.

Mrs Wilde said the organisation did not want to feel like it was "hiding people with dementia away" in a closed-off room.

Each session starts with coffee, a chat and old photographs so patients can reminisce, and Age UK hopes to open more pop-up cafés in towns such as Market Drayton and Telford.

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