Alive started as one man’s vision in 2009, who, from personal experience, saw that the care for those living with dementia at home and in care homes needed to be improved and overhauled.
Tim Lloyd-Yeates saw older people not being provided with the opportunities, engagement and activity they needed, and not being treated with the dignity they deserved.
Tim was a powerful force and made a huge impact in the world of older peoples’ care. He had the ability to speak uncomfortable truths with humility and authority and people always remembered his words and his presence. Tim unfortunately passed away in 2015 from leukaemia, but his legacy carries on and Alive runs with the same passion, dedication, commitment and love that he poured into the charity when it first began.
From care home sessions and award-winning training for the care sector, to projects and services that connect older and younger people across our community, we have continued to innovate as a charity – all keeping to Tim’s ethos of bringing joy and meaning to the lives of older people.
Take a look at some of our highlights below…
Founding Alive.
Alive started as one man’s vision in 2009, who, from personal experience, saw that the care for those living with dementia at home and in care homes needed to be improved and overhauled.
Going into care homes.
Alive grew quickly from Tim’s own vision and was providing a varied range of activity sessions to over 350 care homes in the Bristol and surrounding counties. The variety of sessions included art, poetry, variety hour, reminiscence, music, tai chi and exercise.
Introducing social & therapeutic horticulture.
In 2018, we merged with local, community organisation Growing Support to add horticultural therapy to our offering: giving older people the opportunity to connect with nature and green crafts.
Developing award-winning training.
Alive began to develop our training programme to ensure the right level of activity was taking place throughout the day in each home.
National recognition was received at the National Dementia Care Awards in 2018 and 2019 for our different training offerings, including the development of our Coaching Programme, which aimed to provide a hands-on training approach.
Pioneering touch-screen technology.
The charity was also awarded in 2019 with “Most Innovative Older Care Provider” in the South West. Pioneering the use of iPads with older people, especially those living with dementia, led us to continue to use them regularly in all their sessions.
Going public & Radio Bristol’s Charity of the Year.
Our innovation continued into developing intergenerational sessions and community integration. Alive also began to share its work with the public, not just the care sector, as it became Radio Bristol’s Charity of the Year in 2018.
Wider community work & Dementia Meeting Centres.
Following a restructure in 2020 to mirror sector changes and challenges, Alive began to offer different kinds of sessions in care homes and work more with people still living at home who were either vulnerable and/or living with dementia.
We developed Alive Clubs to bring in people from the community into care homes and launched our Dementia Meeting Centres, for those still living in the community.
Navigating the pandemic & Alive on Demand.
During the pandemic in 2020, we developed remote activity sessions for care homes, which has enabled us to take our growth beyond geographical boundaries. Alive on Demand was launched, a subscription-based activity service supporting care homes through sessions and training.
Dementia-friendly allotment opens.
Our community gardening grew in 2021 with the development and launch of Bristol’s first dementia-friendly allotment located in Brentry.
Alive wins prestigious national award.
We won further recognition in 2022 at the Markel 3rd Sector Awards winning the Dementia Care and Technology Development awards.
Featured on BBC Gardeners’ World.
Broadcast in October 2022, the gardening team welcomed BBC Gardeners’ World for a feature on our dementia-friendly allotment site in Brentry and the members it supports.
Introducing the Empathy Suit Experience.
Made up of 13 components which work to give the wearer a unique sense of how it may feel to be a person living with dementia or older age, our eye-opening new training puts people in the shoes of those they support.
Sessions in hospital gardens.
Since 2023, Alive’s community gardening team have helped transform two hospital gardens into green spaces for older patients at the BRI and Weston General.
Filming with England Men’s Football Team.
Raising awareness of dementia, we were invited up to St George’s Park to produce a film in 2023 alongside Alzheimer’s Society and the FA, inviting players to wear the Empathy Suit.
Second dementia-friendly allotment opens.
Our second allotment in Brislington opened its gates in March 2023, offering the magic of our fully accessible sessions to people living in our community south of the river.
Celebrating 15 years of Alive.
Reflecting on the charity’s journey since 2009, we held a retrospective exhibition in October 2024 commemorating Alive’s 15 year anniversary at which we were awarded the High Sheriff Award.
Wins at Dementia Care Awards 2025.
Dubbed the “future of dementia care”, we are delighted to see our Dementia Meeting Centres and BRI Hospital Garden honoured at the 2025 prestigious Dementia Care Awards.
Alive named Charity of the Year for Older People.
Spotlighting the outstanding achievements of organisations that have demonstrated innovation and resilience in the face of adversity, we were thrilled to receive an Award of Excellence as Number One Charity of the Year for Older People at the 2025 E2 Media Awards.
Hoppiness Beer available to purchase.
Sprouting from an idea in one of our care home sessions in 2023 and growing into a fully-fledged tipple making national TV headlines, Alive helped St Monica Trust produce a centenary beer planted and harvested with their own residents, available to purchase with help from Wiper and True Brewery in late 2025.
Lullaby Circle on ITV’s This Morning.
Connecting babies with local care home residents, we were thrilled to welcome the ITV crew to one of our intergenerational sessions at a local care home in January 2026.
Alive wins UK Dementia Awards.
Celebrating our hoppy work brewing beer in care homes, our Hoppiness Project picked up the prestigious Promoting Health & Wellbeing Award at the 2026 UK Dementia Awards.
Step Into May 2026.
Alive’s biggest-ever fundraising appeal invited everyone to get active to light up later life and saw people take on sponsored challenges and group walks through Bristol.
Alive wins Prince of Wales Award.
Presented at the opening ceremony of the Royal Bath & West Show, our Hoppiness Project was awarded the prestigious 2026 Prize of Honour, proudly sponsored by the Duchy of Cornwall.
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