The Memory Café in Penarth will be returning on June 13 after a two-year break due to the pandemic.

People living with dementia and their loved ones or carers can attend the monthly Memory Café at Penarth Methodist Church, where sufferers can meet others with the condition, as well as take part in activities such as chair dancing and seated football.

Phil Batchelor, a franchise owner of Home Instead and organiser of the Memory Café, told Penarth Nub News: "One of the challenges for people living with dementia is feeling lonely and isolated.

"But setting up community groups like our Memory Café is an opportunity to provide a place where people with dementia and their loved ones or carers can go along, meet other people, and allows loved ones and carers to swap stories and network.

"When someone is on a dementia journey, their confidence to go out in public is reduced. In the Memory Café, if you meet one other person with dementia, there's immediate empathy and understanding."

Memory Café in Penarth will be returning on June 13 after a two-year break due to the pandemic. (Image credit: Phil Batchelor)

Mr Batchelor found it difficult to find good quality, personalised care for his father and decided to buy a franchise of Home Instead 12 years ago.

Now, the franchise cares for more than 120 clients across Penarth, Barry, and Cardiff. Mr Batchelor talks about how a lack of this kind of venue in Penarth led to him filling a gap. "A lot of my day job is serving clients in Penarth and there's a large community of retired people there," he said.

"With Home Instead, we support clients in their own homes in Penarth and we network with local charities and GPs. From that, it became very apparent that this sort of thing was needed."

Memory Café started at Penarth Methodist Church before the pandemic and the session in June will be the first in two years. "Getting the Memory Café going again is wonderful after such a long time during the pandemic and we're hoping to bang the drum and spread the word," said Mr Batchelor.

"We see the Memory Café being an important first step to making Penarth a dementia-friendly town."

Memory Café runs from 10:00 – 12:00 and is free to attend. Refreshments will also be provided.

Contact Chrissy by email at [email protected] or call 02920 569483.

The next Memory Café will be held on July 11.