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Reflecting on a year of meaningful connections with our team of extraordinary volunteers.

As the year comes to a close and the festive spirit fills the air, we find ourselves reflecting on the wonderful journey we’ve shared together. As we express our gratitude, we want to shine a spotlight on those who have brought joy and laughter to our therapeutic gardening sessions, intergenerational projects, tech workshops, Wishing Washing Line West participants and Dementia Meeting Centres. Thank you so much to all our volunteers for your support, dedication, and warmth.

We planted, sang, danced, crafted, played games, and felt the sunshine on our faces; we went on trips, made willow wreaths, harvested vegetables, celebrated together and shared stories, meals and smiles.

Our volunteers helped to connect young and old, answered questions about computers and smartphones, provided a friendly face and listening ear to carers facing bereavement, cleaned the dishes after a shared lunch, grew hops together, and fulfilled wishes of residents in care. Together, we visited care homes across Bristol to brighten days with person-centred, light-hearted activity sessions.

Thanks to our shared efforts, our community gardens across Bristol are thriving. We are indebted to the many groups of corporate volunteers who have come along for a day and helped us with bigger tasks, like clearing, fencing and painting. Your support is very much appreciated and helps us provide inclusive, accessible gardening for older people in Bristol – thank you.

We aim to deliver sessions that benefit wellbeing in a holistic way. It was beautiful to hear this reflected back in a poem by one of our recent volunteers, Samantha Tucker, who visited our dementia-friendly allotment in Brentry as part of the Shift Practical Sustainability Course. Here is an excerpt from her poem, ‘Voices of the Allotment’:

What if we all realised that growing
One seed is akin to a rebellion?
That even when people are forgetting;
Slipping bits away from themselves,
Like a traveller washed up on an island,
Seeking familiarity –
That it might be found in:
The richly scented rosemary
Or the cloddy touch of soil,
Thick with clay
And reminiscent of art class.

Who knew that slips of self might
Be found between
The sprout stems and rhubarb?
That in the tracing of fingers
On the earth,
One’s own place might be remembered
Or less misunderstood.

The whole poem can be found here.

As we bid farewell to 2023, we look forward to the opportunities that the coming year holds. With the support of our amazing volunteers, we look forward to continuing our mission of ‘lighting up later life’. One exciting project we have starting in 2024 is our new dementia-friendly allotment in South Bristol. We can’t wait to open our gates to new volunteers and participants alike and share the joy of gardening with new faces.

So thank you, dear volunteers, for your commitment and efforts, your enthusiasm, your time, and the kindness that you shared with us throughout the year. We are truly grateful to have you with us.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with hope, joy, and many moments of happiness, and are looking forward to seeing you in 2024.

We are so proud of our Dementia Meeting Centre team for winning the prestigious Hennell Award for 2022/23.

Presented by University of Worcester’s Association for Dementia Studies (ADS), the Hennell Award for Innovation & Excellence in Dementia Care celebrates those that have demonstrated the ability to create positive change for individuals living with dementia.

Praised for their significant contribution to promoting person-centred care, our fabulous Meeting Centres were recognised as having energised and imaginative leadership. The judging panel were also especially impressed by our team’s innovative and excellent standard of work, highlighting their ability to overcome barriers by a range of means, and our centres’ clear link between the learning gained from ADS-facilitated courses and the outcomes for people living with dementia and their carers.

“On behalf of the Alive team, I am delighted that our Meeting Centres have been recognised by the University of Worcester. We encourage people to remain active following diagnosis. Thanks to our professional, skilled and passionate staff, our members have built strong relationships and supportive communities that helps them continue to live independently and enjoy life. We also have loads of fun!”

Louise Spencer, Dementia Meeting Centre Manager

The award was formally presented to our CEO Isobel Jones and Nicola Taylor (Delivery and Training Manager) at the 17th UK Dementia Congress in November by Dr Chris Russell (Senior Lecturer, ADS) and Dr Shirley Evans (Director, ADS).

We’d like to thank the judges and entire team at ADS for their ongoing support of our Meeting Centres. And a very warm congratulations to our team for their well-deserved win.

Find out more about our Dementia Meeting Centres here.

To mark the culmination of the Building Mental Health Resilience project over the past year, a celebration event was held at St James’ Priory in the centre of Bristol.

Older people who had taken part in this collaborative project were invited in recognition of their valuable contribution to the positive outcomes of this initiative.

Funded by St Monica Trust, the project aimed to improve older people’s awareness of their mental health and equip them with everyday tools to manage and improve this as a means of enhancing individual well-being. Working alongside different communities of older adults across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, the project explored the different mental health and emotional well-being needs of individuals experiencing a broad range of challenges in their lives.

This included the needs of older carers supporting those living with dementia, members of Bristol’s black and minority ethnic elders’ groups, as well as asylum seekers and refugees seeking sanctuary in the city. The project also reached out to older individuals accessing their local social prescribing service through Mendip Vale Medical Group which offers support to those living within both urban and rural areas.

Using a blend of creative expression workshops and training programmes, focusing on increasing emotional awareness and promoting the use of self-help techniques, participants were invited to share their personal and collective experiences during the project.

Well-being Cards

Based on the collective learnings from these groups, this has led to the co-production of a set of Well-being Cards. With the aim of reaching a far wider audience, these cards offer a variety of tools and techniques to promote positive well-being and resilience as well as encouraging older adults to think and talk about their mental health. The cards have been designed to be interactive and have space for personal reflections. Those who attended the celebration event received a complimentary set of these Well-being Cards as a thank you for their valuable contribution to the project.

It was wonderful to bring together some of the amazing elders who have shared their valuable words of wisdom which helped to inform the Well-being Cards. Hopefully, the wider use of these cards will support many more people to feel comfortable talking about their emotional health in the future.

My thanks goes to all those involved in this project.

Julie Drew – Project Manager

Today marks #WorldMenopauseDay. Hear from our CEO Isobel Jones on steps we are making towards becoming menopause-aware.

It’s time to start talking about the menopause.

With approximately 13 million women in the UK being peri- or post-menopausal, menopausal women are the fastest growing demographic in the workplace.

Actively working to challenge the stigma surrounding the menopause has been a real focus of mine this year, partly based on our ethos of valuing staff and ageing well, but also due to personal experience.

It’s an understatement to say that menopausal symptoms like anxiety, brain fog, and mood swings can have an effect on your personal and professional life. It’s of the utmost importance that we foster environments whereby women feel comfortable reaching out for support and sharing their experiences. Especially in the workplace.

Giving a presentation on the subject as part of our staff training, and writing a menopause-specific policy into our Staff Handbook are just two of the steps we’ve taken as a charity towards becoming menopause-aware.

Increasing understanding and ensuring adjustments are available, if needed, aren’t just helpful for other women. They’re essential for everyone – so that we can all develop the skills to support our colleagues, friends, and family.

It’s amazing to see in our office at Alive that the menopause is a normal topic of conversation. Free of taboo. And I want to thank my colleagues for their openness and honesty as we strive to ensure that no one has to suffer in silence.

The theme of this year’s World Alzheimer’s Month is ‘Never too early, never too late’, with Alzheimer’s Disease International calling on everyone to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and the risk factors linked to all types of dementia.

To commemorate World Alzheimer’s Day this Thursday, we’re delivering a Dementia Friends (DF) session at our South Glos Dementia Meeting Centre, joining Alzheimer’s Society’s plans to use the day to help educate, encourage support of and demystify dementia.

Winsome, our Meeting Centre manager and Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Ambassador, will be running the session and says:

Many people know someone with dementia. In the UK, with over 900,000 people affected with dementia, it is becoming increasingly more common to know someone with the condition. However, how dementia presents in each person is unique to that person. The aim of the DF session, is to give our family, carers, and spouses the opportunity to get a wider understanding of dementia. Knowledge will not change the symptoms, but understanding why a person with dementia behaves as they do will help everyone better support their loved ones at home.

This information sharing is part of the way that the SGDMC helps and supports our members to adapt to the changes dementia brings.

We are so proud to be offering our new Empathy Suit Experience training to anybody working with older people and those living with dementia. Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Alzheimer’s Society UX & Web Design team to try out the new experience.

What is The Empathy Suit Experience?

Introducing the Empathy Suit – a suit made up of 13 components which work to inhibit mobility, motor skills, vision, and hearing – giving the wearer a unique sense of how it may feel to be a person living with dementia and older age impairment. Literally “putting them in the shoes,” of the people they support. 

Set simple, everyday tasks such as moving objects on a table and walking from a to b, attendees take it in turns to try on the suit which mimics Parkinsonian tremors, arthritis, tinnitus, impaired vision, confusion, heaviness and more. Watch the introductory video and see the suit on here:

Training with the Alzheimer’s Society

This August, several team members from the UX & Web Design team came into our offices for a bespoke Empathy Suit Experience training day. Setting them tasks to complete, such as walking short distances, reading, and moving objects, the team took it in turns to try on the suit. With their work focussed on the accessibility of the Alzheimer’s Society webpage, we also tasked them with navigating their site from the point of view of one of their users who may be living with dementia and older age impairment.

The results were eye-opening, with attendees praising the the suit’s ability to restrict movement, sharing that they’d gained not only a greater understanding of dementia, but also of the feedback they’d received from older people using the website. With plans to put their experiences into place, we’re honoured to have shared such an emotive experience with everyone. A huge thank you to the Alzheimer’s Society for taking part.

I think the suit experience should be mandatory for all care home staff.
Great experience.

ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY ATTENDEE

Learn More

Ideal for anybody working with older people, and those living with dementia, including:

• Healthcare Sector
• Public Services
• Retail
• Academia

Get in touch today to chat to us about bespoke courses by calling 0117 377 4756 or emailing info@aliveactivities.org. Find out more here.

This July, we opened the doors to our SGDMC to anyone living with mild to moderate dementia in the local area. Providing a delicious afternoon tea and the opportunity to find out more about the group, we shared advice, stories, and support with others in our community.

Our members and carers were involved in both the planning and delivery of events on the day, all choosing activities and engaging in conversations with our visitors. One talented carer baked 40 scones to mark the occasion, with another leading on the exercise to reduce trips and falls.

We had time to tell our visitors that we support our members with adjusting to the changes dementia brings, be they social, emotional, practical or physical.

Following the two successful open days, and thanks to the hard work of our group members – and staff and volunteers alike – we now have new families who have since visited our SGDMC again. We’re over the moon to be welcoming them, and look forward to them joining us on a regular basis.

If you missed the Afternoon Tea event, you can still book a free taster session with us where you can try some activities, meet others on a similar journey, and get to know our amazing team.

If you would like to find out how the SGDMC can support you adjust to the changes dementia brings, do give us a call on 07377 197 893 or email winsome@aliveactivities.org. We would love to hear from you!

Fancy finding out more about the benefits of our Dementia Meeting Centres? Read our latest Member Satisfaction Survey and update from Project Manager, Louise, here.

Hear from our Meeting Centre Project Manager, Louise Spencer, on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from members of our Meeting Centres in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

Members Living with Dementia

All our members reported that they enjoyed the groups, liked the atmosphere, liked the other people who attended, and appreciated the staff and volunteers.

I look forward to Tuesdays to get out, meet up with new friends, chat, play games and have lunch.

MEMBER LIVING WITH DEMENTIA

It’s brilliant; it’s the best thing I do!

MEMBER LIVING WITH DEMENTIA

Showing us that the Meeting Centres are a safe space to talk about dementia without any stigma or judgement, one member said:

I like to talk about dementia [here].

MEMBER LIVING WITH DEMENTIA

Members who are Carers

Meeting Centres were also rated positively by carers including the opening hours, staffing, expertise, ability to talk to staff, support available for members and carers, and also support from other carers. 

The centre has been an invaluable source of support and information. Mum loves attending, enjoys all the activities and the social aspect that it brings.

CARER

Appreciating the range of activities and how they are tailored for members, one carer liked how the activities were:

All inclusive, even for those who are seated in a wheelchair.

CARER

This has been a godsend. I don’t know how I or we could have managed without it. No favouritism. They treat everyone equally. They give us the chance to speak up and do.

CARER

The weekly meetings have been a lifeline for me and my husband […] He remembers very little now, but remembers the club members.

CARER

We will continue to run Carers Corner to build on the close connections that carers are making to keep positive and support each other, both at the Meeting Centre and also independently using WhatsApp groups. 

Following the introduction of exercises to help reduce falls, members are feeling confident to ask for more physical activities to help members stay fit and maintain good balance. We are really pleased to be expanding our physical activities such as walking, music and movement and games, and also providing more health information sessions which we will organise in partnership with our colleagues in the NHS. 

July 2023

It’s one of the busiest times of the year for gardeners. As well as being active in the open air recently, we’ve also been busy behind the scenes and are happy to announce that we’ll be launching two new therapeutic garden initiatives soon. Read on for more about these – as well as the usual updates from our existing gardens.

Wellspring Settlement

The Alive Wellspring Settlement Community Gardening Group have had a busy season engaging with Avon Wildlife Trust’s Nextdoor Nature Officer Tay Aziz. Amongst other things we’ve done collaboratively, we all went on a beautiful trip to the harbourside to envision a greener future for the area surrounding SS Great Britain. 

Tay also recently hosted a fantastic community celebration event in our garden at the Settlement to thank local people for taking action for nature. Search #NextdoorNature on social media to learn more about Tay’s work, or visit this link.

Lawrence Weston Community Garden

Along with tending their flower beds and veg patches, the Lawrence Weston group have recently said an emotional farewell to Abi, who had been running the group for the last five years. Long-term volunteer Carmel has taken over facilitating sessions and is already doing a great job filling Abi’s shoes!

The group has been busy recently, planting up some beautiful terrariums and succulent dry gardens and learning about the flora and fauna of Lawrence Weston Moor.

They also enjoyed a fabulous homemade Strawberry Cream Tea and Elderflower Cordial party to celebrate Carmel’s last session as a volunteer. 

Brentry Allotment

We’ve been busy at the allotment over the last few months, with our participants creating their usual magic in the garden and some big corporate volunteer days making the place even more accessible and user-friendly.

We’ve been harvesting lots of sweet peas, cornflowers and veg this year – and have had a bumper harvest of blackcurrants which we’ll be making into jam to share soon.

We’d also like to thank everyone who’s helped make our allotment more accessible. We now have a dazzling (literally – it’s very yellow!) new wheelchair-friendly car park surface and path and three new raised beds!

Two New Ventures from Alive

We are thrilled to announce we’ll be opening a new dementia-friendly community allotment in South Bristol soon. The plot is at Talbot Road Allotments on the border of Knowle and Brislington, and we’re hoping to start sessions there in Spring ’24. We were joined by Alive staff recently to begin getting the space shipshape – and to enjoy some fresh air in a beautiful spot surrounded by trees and birdsong.

Before that, though, in September, we will launch a weekly gardening session for patients in the dementia ward at BRI Hospital, which has a beautiful courtyard garden. We will be looking for volunteers to support this central Bristol session, so please let us know if you would like to get involved.

The Hoppiness Project

Our project growing hops with Deerhurst Care Home enjoyed a trip to a brewery recently for a tour and to sample some beer.

We want to thank Michael at Wiper and True, who made us feel incredibly welcome at their state-of-the-art brewery, uber-accessible brewery and tap room in Old Market.

Michael gave us a brewery tour and then let us sample some of their beers. 

Meanwhile, the hop plant is growing well, and we look forward to harvesting the cones soon!

Visit the community gardens page on our website for more info about all our existing, green-fingered projects.

Don’t forget you can keep up with all the latest from our gardening team via their social media channels. We’re @ALIVEgardening everywhere.

Celebrating the important milestones of Windrush 75 and the festivities of St Paul’s Carnival, the Bristol Elders Groups have been busy.

Marking 75 years since the Empire Windrush arrived in Britain, the Elders came together to celebrate the contributions, sacrifices, and achievements of the Windrush Generation and their descendants. There was a concert with the wonderful Renewal Choir and events at Bristol Museum and a photography exhibition at Commonwealth House.

The St Paul’s Carnival followed at the weekend with the Elders enjoying a brunch hosted by the one and only Levi Roots and an amazing view of the carnival procession from the Malcolm X Centre balcony.

The sun shone down on all the joyous celebrations!