OKEHAMPTON branch of the Senior Café for Devon, supported by PSP Health Care, opened a Memory Café at the Hatherleigh Care Village for the first time on Tuesday July 6. 

Subsequent meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month, between 2pm and 4pm.  Tea and cakes were enjoyed by everyone, courtesy of PSP Healthcare and some of the volunteers. 

Those present spent most of the time chatting and getting to know one another.

Memory Cafés are for carers and those being cared for with dementia to get together to socialise in a friendly and safe environment. 

It is part of the Devon NHS Trust's strategy for dementia to encourage the opening of cafés in all the market towns of Devon. 

Activities to help memory retention and information are part and parcel of the cafés. Singing is a recognised therapy and the Hatherleigh café is looking for a keyboard player with a repertoire of old songs.

The Hatherleigh café will complement those already running in Okehampton, Great Torrington and Tavistock  and everyone will be made to feel welcome. 

For further information contact Ann R Crawford on 01837 840562.