DEMENTIA can leave individuals and their carers isolated and alone. Fortunately, Bolton Dementia Support is there to help.

The local charity began life in 1998 when Barbara E Clarke realised that the majority of carers she had been tasked to help in North-east Bolton were involved in dementia care.

She set up a series of local support groups and this grew into Bolton Dementia Support, now housed at The Thicketford Centre on Thicketford Road.

Today, the charity offers a wealth of support, resources, events and professional and voluntary help to the 3,000 or so dementia patients in the Bolton area. To their carers and families it provides a genuine lifeline.

With just a staff of two, four trustees, a committee of 12 and a small but dedicated number of volunteers, Bolton Dementia Support runs an impressive array of ventures and services helping to provide a valuable safety net for many.

Most of the services it provides are held where it matters — in local communities — via the charity’s Community Outreach Service and Outreach Worker Alison Lowe.

Three times a week there are regular Memory Cafes where people with dementia or significant memory problems can enjoy a friendly and relaxed setting. Here, they and their families can meet others in a similar situation, experiences can be shared and help sought in a welcoming atmosphere.

These run from 2pm to 4pm, on Mondays in Victoria Hall, Bolton town centre, on Tuesdays at Horwich RMI Club in Chorley New Road, Horwich and on Wednesdays at Astley Bridge Bowling Club in Ivy Bank Road. On the last Thursday of the month, there is also a Memory Café from 7pm to 9pm at St Gergory’s Social Club in Church Street, Farnworth.

Support group meetings are held every other Tuesday morning from 10.30am to 12 noon at the Thicketford Centre. Then, carers can meet other carers whilst the person they care for is involved in their own reminiscence-based activity session in a separate room. Reminiscences form the basis of a large part of the charity’s work with dementia sufferers.

On the third Monday of each month, there is also a special café for younger people living with dementia.

This is held at the King’s Head public house in Junction Road, Deane from 7pm to 9pm.

Two newer ventures for the charity are the Candle Café in Lever Street, Little Lever — already a popular draw with the local community — where a Drop In Centre is also run for carers, offering a really useful resource for anyone looking after someone with dementia.

The other venture is a charity shop at the junction of Ainsworth Lane and Tonge Moor Road in Tonge Fold. It’s open six days a week, is staffed by volunteers and provides a useful revenue source as well as raising awareness about dementia and the support available.

None of this, however, happens without finding funding or without a great deal of hard work. And Bolton Dementia Support is always in urgent need of help with both.