DETAILS have been revealed about what a £10,000 lottery grant is being spent on to tackle dementia in Horwich.

Horwich Dementia Support, which works with Bolton Council, announced the windfall recently and is due to hold its official launch in the near future.

According to Horwich town councillor Kevin McKeon, some of the money has been spent on the Memory Café, that meets in the Horwich RMI, and the Good Deeds Trust, which provides aids to help families keep track of loved ones suffering from dementia.

Future projects include supporting public health officers from Bolton Council who want to introduce dementia friendly signs in shops around the town. And in June, the charity hopes to organise an event to celebrate the work being done for people with dementia.

Cllr McKeon said: “The public health department of the council is working hard to improve the lives of the increasing numbers of people suffering from dementia.

“I am pleased with the work they are doing in Horwich. Horwich Dementia Support is a good example how a voluntary group can help the statutory authorities achieve their aims.

“It is good to see Horwich politicians taking a non-partisan approach to a serious problem in partnership with Bolton Council.”

The group was set up after Cllr McKeon approached Bolton Council’s public health department after learning about dementia friendly communities.

He enlisted the help of fellow councillors Richard Silvester, Marie Brady and Steven Chadwick as well as shopkeeper Birdie Tonge of Fine Yarns.

The group is also aiming to make Guardian Angels free for those who need it in Horwich.

The devices, made by Connect Tech, come in the form of a wristband, keyring, zipper tag and badge and allow members of the public to use their phones in a contactless method to scan the device.

The ‘Tap Your Phone To Get Them Home’ method gives the name and an emergency contact number of the person who is in need.

For more information, follow @HorwichDementia on Twitter.