News and Updates

Since last we spoke, Bristol has been hit by its first frosts of the year and some quite lairy winds, … Continue reading Community Gardening: Winter Update

Wondering what to buy your loved one this Christmas who would love to travel but is unable to? Pre-orders for … Continue reading Gift the Gift of Travel: Tabletop Travels

Watch a virtual walkthrough and see highlights of our brilliant exhibition: Celebrating 15 Years of Alive. Held from 7 October … Continue reading Celebrating 15 Years of Alive: Virtual Exhibition

The Malcolm X Elders Group celebrated Black History Month with a brilliant afternoon of music, poetry, and amazing food. Discussing … Continue reading Elders Celebrate Black History Month

We’ve turned 15! The opening night of our retrospective exhibition was a wonderful way to commemorate fifteen incredible years of … Continue reading Our 15 Year Exhibition Opening Night

The BRI Sanctuary Square Courtyard is home to our weekly dementia-friendly gardening activities. Providing comfort and joy to so many … Continue reading Help Save the BRI Living Wall

This year marks 15 years of Alive. To celebrate, we’re holding a retrospective exhibition at our home in the Create … Continue reading 15 Years of Alive | Exhibition at Create Centre

As he steps down as our Chair of Trustees and into retirement, Alive’s CEO reflects on the leadership and contributions … Continue reading Thanking Phil May

Travelling across the UK to deliver our ever-expanding programme of meaningful care sector training and activity sessions, the past few … Continue reading Training & Services | Autumn Update

Despite this summer’s disappointing weather and slug apocalypse, the time seems to have sped past. We’ve somehow adapted, and all … Continue reading Community Gardening: Autumn Update

We’re thrilled with the response to Share & Repair so far. Launched over the summer, the project celebrates the skills … Continue reading Share & Repair: Autumn Update

While we support those living with dementia and their carers every day, #WorldAlzheimersDay is an opportunity to raise awareness, share … Continue reading It’s Time to Act On Alzheimer’s

This week marks one year of our gardening group at the Bristol Royal Infirmary. Celebrating with a cake covered in … Continue reading BRI Gardening Group Turns One!

Awarded an honorary doctorate from University of Bristol this month for her contributions towards racial equality and social justice, we’d … Continue reading Bristol Elder Receives Honorary Doctorate

Support Alive and enter our fantastic raffle to be in with a chance of winning a week’s holiday for four … Continue reading Raffle: Win 7 days in the South of France

It’s great to see The Hoppiness Project hit the headlines! Giving care home residents the chance to brew their own … Continue reading The Hoppiness Project on BBC News

Back in August 2023, we welcomed Kat Lyons, the current Bristol City Poet, to our Brentry Allotment. They joined one … Continue reading Bristol City Poet on our Brentry Allotment

While the sun has been a bit shy, the forecast for our community gardens is nothing but bright with the … Continue reading Community Gardening: Summer Update

With all three groups enjoying their busy schedules this summer, let’s take a look at what they’ve been up to… … Continue reading Bristol Elders at the Royal West of England Academy

This June 2024, an intrepid supporter of ours will be climbing Mount Tetnuldi, fundraising for ourselves and fellow local charity … Continue reading Conquering Peaks and Dementia: Fundraiser

Our Volunteer Coordinator, Nadja, sat down with Voscur for #VolunteersWeek 2024 to highlight the crucial role our volunteers play in … Continue reading Volunteers Week | Interview with Voscur

On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we want to take the opportunity to honour our Normandy veterans and thank them … Continue reading D-Day 80: Cherishing Life Stories

Guest writer, Jackie Edwards, explores the potential benefits for older people of age-inclusive living and public spaces. By 2050, it … Continue reading The Benefits of Age-Inclusive Living

We had the most incredible opportunity with Bristol Dementia Wellbeing Service to film with the England Men’s Football Team this … Continue reading Filming with the England Football Men’s Team

With the new growing season officially underway and signs of spring everywhere, we’re gearing up for another exciting year across … Continue reading Community Gardening | Spring Update

Our bustling Projects Department has been springing into life this month, with new shoots of activity and partnerships forming. Our … Continue reading Projects & Partnerships | Spring Update

How about a gorgeous video full of warmth to cheer you up this cold January? We are so proud of … Continue reading An Intergenerational Tea Dance with Flamingo Chicks

Inspiring Older People and Those Living with Dementia to Express Themselves: from guest writer, Jackie Edwards. Diving into the world … Continue reading Unlocking Creativity Through Garden Art

Reflecting on a year of meaningful connections with our team of extraordinary volunteers. As the year comes to a close … Continue reading A Thank You to Our Volunteers of 2023

We are so proud of our Dementia Meeting Centre team for winning the prestigious Hennell Award for 2022/23. Presented by … Continue reading Meeting Centre Team Wins Hennell Award

To mark the culmination of the Building Mental Health Resilience project over the past year, a celebration event was held … Continue reading Celebrating Well-being

Today marks #WorldMenopauseDay. Hear from our CEO Isobel Jones on steps we are making towards becoming menopause-aware. It’s time to … Continue reading #WorldMenopauseDay 2023

The theme of this year’s World Alzheimer’s Month is ‘Never too early, never too late’, with Alzheimer’s Disease International calling … Continue reading World Alzheimer’s Month 2023

We are so proud to be offering our new Empathy Suit Experience training to anybody working with older people and … Continue reading Introducing our new Empathy Suit Experience Training

This July, we opened the doors to our SGDMC to anyone living with mild to moderate dementia in the local … Continue reading Open Days at South Glos Meeting Centre

Hear from our Meeting Centre Project Manager, Louise Spencer, on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from members of our Meeting Centres … Continue reading Dementia Meeting Centre Satisfaction Survey

It’s one of the busiest times of the year for gardeners. As well as being active in the open air recently, we’ve … Continue reading Community Gardening: Summer Update

Celebrating the important milestones of Windrush 75 and the festivities of St Paul’s Carnival, the Bristol Elders Groups have been … Continue reading Bristol Elders Groups’ Summertime Celebrations

Catch up with Project Manager, Julie, on what has been a busy few months! Creative Wellbeing Project with BME Elders … Continue reading Building Mental Health Resilience: Summer Update

Alive on Demand Community is a great new feature to stay connected in what can often be quite a lonely … Continue reading Introducing: Alive on Demand Community

Continuing their series of day trips, events, and visits, here’s what the South Gloucestershire Dementia Meeting Centre groups have been … Continue reading A Summer of Mini Adventures

Celebrating the ever-growing family of Dementia Meeting Centres across the UK, our members were set a challenge by the Association … Continue reading The Meeting Centre UK Family Blanket

Ahead of the 75th Anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain, we’re honoured to share the below piece … Continue reading Roger Griffith MBE on ‘What is Windrush?’

At Alive, we know it’s important to reflect on the goodness and kindness of those who make a difference to … Continue reading A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Incredible Volunteers

We were delighted to have been awarded a grant of £57,892 from the Masonic Charitable Foundation to continue running supported … Continue reading Funding News | Spring Update

Hear from our lovely Bristol Dementia Meeting Centre Manager, Sally, on what the group has been up to this quarter. … Continue reading Bristol Dementia Meeting Centre | Spring Update

Our community gardens are slowly returning to life after a wet, cold start to the year. Despite the weather, it’s … Continue reading Community Gardening | Spring Update

Sessions We are thrilled to be able to introduce five new Session Facilitators – Sam, Emma, Louisa, Jacqui and Eeva.  … Continue reading Activity Sessions & Training | Spring Update

In collaboration with Wellspring Counselling (a charity based in Nailsea), a series of workshops were facilitated at the Dementia Meeting … Continue reading Carers’ Workshops at North Somerset Dementia Meeting Centre

Enabling five care homes across North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to host festive celebrations this past Easter, we would like … Continue reading #OneGoodEgg-Stravaganza!

Alive recently ran the first session of the latest project to be conjured up from the brains of their gardening … Continue reading The Hoppiness Project!

Hear from Winsome, our South Gloucestershire Meeting Centre Manager, about the group’s recent trip to Bristol Aerospace. Last Tuesday, our … Continue reading A Trip to the Skies and the Power of Positive Gossiping

Millie Fuller is a creative copywriter at Content ‘n’ Coffee. She has a love of life (and caffeine). When she’s … Continue reading Grounded Gardening Advice for People with Restricted Mobility

With a momentous birthday comes three days of celebration for our Dementia Meeting Centre! Marking one year of our Meeting … Continue reading Our Dementia Meeting Centre celebrates its first anniversary

Last week we welcomed two special visitors to our Dementia Meeting Centre groups – Dr Shirley Evans, Interim Director of … Continue reading Dr Shirley Evans and Jennifer Bray visit our Dementia Meeting Centres

Our South Glos Meeting Centre recently had a trip to Oakham Treasures to enjoy their unique collection of memorabilia from … Continue reading Oakham Treasures Trip

South Gloucestershire Meeting Centre members spent time decorating a Christmas cake and biscuits at their Wednesday session this week. The … Continue reading South Gloucestershire Meeting Centre Get In The Xmas Spirit

At the beginning of December, one of the BME groups Alive has been working with, the Golden Agers, held a … Continue reading Golden Agers Hold Bring-And-Buy Sale

CQC ratings play a big part in all of our lives. Whether you are trying to improve your rating or … Continue reading Alive on Demand could help with CQC ratings!

Alive would like to send a huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone that supported our Christmas Fundraising Bazaar at … Continue reading Christmas Fundraising Bazaar at the Bristol Dementia Meeting Centre

Our CEO Isobel was recently invited to be a speaker at two Caring UK Conferences in late October. One in … Continue reading Alive CEO Isobel Jones invited to speak at Caring UK Conferences

After winning a prestigious ‘Dementia Care’ award at the Markel 3rd Sector Care Award in March, our dementia-friendly allotment in … Continue reading Alive’s dementia-friendly allotment featured on Gardeners’ World this month

As part of this year’s Celebrating Age Festival, Alive’s dementia-friendly allotment is running an open afternoon to reflect on how … Continue reading CAF at the Allotment 

To commemorate World Alzheimer’s Day and this year’s theme of ‘Know Dementia’ and the focus on post-diagnosis support, we wanted … Continue reading World Alzheimer’s Day 2022: Stories from our Dementia Meeting Centres

Brian, a care home resident at Innisfree Residential Home in Weston-Super-Mare, wrote into the Wishing Washing Line™ West last month … Continue reading Wishing Washing Line™ West grants its first wish!

Alive ran the first session at a new community garden last week in Worle, Somerset. We’ve been consulting with David … Continue reading Stanley’s Garden

Keep the weekend of 17th – 18th Sept free because, once again, Alive’s Community Gardens are taking part in this … Continue reading Alive and The Get Growing Trail 2022

“Clevedon Meeting Centre is the highlight of our week” “It’s worth every penny.” Members from Clevedon Christ Church Meeting Centre … Continue reading Recent Updates from our North Somerset Meeting Centres

The sun is shining, and it feels like summer is finally well and truly with us. I hope you are … Continue reading Summer Note from our CEO

Tea And Tech has been roving around North Somerset this year, setting up in village halls and running drop-in sessions … Continue reading Tea & Tech: Summer Update

From gardening socials to a new marketing volunteer joining the team, here are our latest volunteering updates Volunteering with Alive … Continue reading June Volunteer Update

The Evergreens group paid homage to Her Majesty with a celebration fit for a Queen With themed decorations, cakes decorated … Continue reading BME Elders ‘Evergreens’ Group Celebrates Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Clevedon Dementia Meeting Centre attendees’ daughter shares heartwarming words of thanks The daughter of two of our Meeting Centre attendees’ … Continue reading Meeting Centre member describes sessions as “golden moment” of their week

We are so pleased to announce that on the 4th of March 2021, we won two national awards at the … Continue reading Alive wins national awards and is nominated for Bristol award

For Dementia Action Week, Alive and Brace are running a webinar on the benefits of community gardening for people living … Continue reading Webinar: The Benefits of Community Gardening For People Living With Dementia

Some fun reasons to get involved with volunteering for us We recently took part in this year’s Get Growing Trail. … Continue reading Bristol Growing Network X Allotment

As members of the Alive Lawrence Weston Community Gardening Group can’t meet up together in person at the moment, we … Continue reading Teleconference Calls Commence to Connect Gardening Group

Following the challenges of COVID-19, Alive were thrilled to restart our intergenerational activities again, in October this year. There has … Continue reading Keeping intergenerational links alive

Alive’s amazing CEO, Isobel Jones, was invited to chat all things tech with the wonderful Hilary Woodhead, NAPA’s Executive Director. … Continue reading Accessing Technology as a Tool for Engagement

In August Alive Activities received funding from The National Lottery Communities Fund, the Department of Sport, Media and Culture and … Continue reading #OneGoodTurn

Alive are delighted to be able to support people, in the community of Lawrence Weston, to get growing again! We … Continue reading Gardening sessions return to the community

Alive has been gifted an allotment by the kind people at Charlton Road allotments in North Bristol. Over lockdown, a … Continue reading Help us crowdfund for our allotment toilet!

Care Homes have worked so hard through the recent pandemic in caring for their residents. Alive and The Bristol Dementia … Continue reading Supporting you in Activity

As part of the Support Hub, at Alive we are able to offer small groups of older people time to … Continue reading Telephone reminiscence

We are so pleased to be involved in a collaboration of local charities to form a new Support Hub to … Continue reading Bristol Support hub – charities come together

Free online activity sessions via zoom… These strange times have bought many challenges to us as a charity. Financial, logistics … Continue reading Alive and direct!