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Four Rivers Dementia Alliance

The 4RDA Blog

January 2026 - Meetings, Strategies, Publications and Support

30/1/2026

• I met with Liz Hitchins (4RDA Chair) and Steven Parker Davidson (4RDA Treasurer) to discuss potential support that could be offered to Tumbly Hill Wellbeing Hub in Kingsbridge (09/01/26).

• The final edit of the dementia friendly guide I wrote for retailers was completed and copies have now been printed. (See the Useful Documents section in the Support Organisations webpage for a PDF copy). The dementia friendly guide I have written for GP practices is currently in the editing process before it goes to print.

• I have continued work on drafting an information pack for the care sector.

• I was booked to attend Modbury Parish Council’s Community Engagement Committee meeting (13/01/26) to discuss ways of starting to work on making Modbury more dementia friendly but the meeting was cancelled due to illness and I was unable to attend the rescheduled meeting held a few days later. I am booked to attend the next meeting (10/03/26).

• I gave a presentation on supporting people living with dementia at the University of Plymouth's - Dementia Voices - Raising Awareness Of Dementia event (22/01/26) in the Foulston Room, the Box Plymouth. These ongoing events are design to raise awareness of dementia in our communities.

• I attended the South Hams Dementia Forum meeting (28/01/26) and discussed action plans for town and parish councils and potential different ways of running the forum with the rest of the group.

• Liz, Steven and I met with Suzi Garrod (Chief Executive and Dementia and Palliative Care Lead, Tumbly Hill Wellbeing Hub in Kingsbridge) to agree support that 4RDA could give with their emerging dementia services (28/01/26) and I drafted risk assessments for the forthcoming memory café and carer’s support groups that will be running there soon.

• I started work on drafting a 4RDA “working to become dementia friendly” window sticker and certificate design that can be offered to organisations and businesses that take tangible actions towards becoming dementia friendly.

A few other things in the pipeline are:

• I have arranged with Ermington Parish Council to support with conducting a village signage audit (09/02/26) and will also discuss holding a community dementia awareness session there soon.

• I have got back in touch with Ivybridge Town Council re: a dementia friendly introduction letter that they drafted (which 4RDA edited and have now had printed). The plan is for them to deliver the letter to businesses in the town and for this to then be followed up by myself and their dementia friendly lead councillor with a visit to the businesses to offer support and the retailer’s guide, to encourage them to work towards becoming dementia friendly. I am currently waiting to hear back re: arranging to meet to discuss and make arrangements for this.

• I will be attending a meeting of the Dementia Support South Devon forum for the first time (02/02/25) and will give an update on the work of 4RDA and Dementia Friendly Parishes around the Yealm.

• I will be attending the next South Hams District Alliance meeting (11/02/26) and will give an update about the work of both 4RDA and Dementia Friendly Parishes around the Yealm.

December - Has Been A Little Quieter As Christmas Approaches

22/12/2025

In contrast to November, December has been a little quieter as everyone has headed towards the Christmas and New Year break.

• Following the dementia awareness session that I delivered to the South Dartmoor Community Energy (SDCE) team in South Brent (26/11/25), I met with Nicky Puttick (Project Manager) to discuss ways that SDCE could become a dementia friendly organisation (08/12/25). Nicky will be discussing my suggestions with their board.

• I attended the Erme and Yealm Caring Alliance meeting in Ivybridge (10/12/25) and gave an update on the work of both 4RDA and Dementia Friendly Parishes Around the Yealm.

• I attended the quarterly 4RDA meeting (15/12/25) to give an update as above.

• I met with Suzi Garrod (Chief Executive and Dementia and Palliative Care Lead, Tumbly Hill Wellbeing Hub in Kingsbridge) to discuss support that 4RDA could give with their emerging dementia services (15/12/25).

• The dementia friendly guide I wrote for retailers is currently having a final edit before going for printing in the new year. Also, the dementia friendly guide I had prepared for GP practices is currently being edited and should be available by mid-January 2026.

• I have now started drafting an information pack for the care sector.

A few other things in the pipeline, heading into 2026 are:

• I am booked to attend Modbury Parish Council’s Community Engagement Committee meeting (13/01/26) to discuss ways of starting to work on making Modbury more dementia friendly.

• I will be getting back in touch in the new year with Ermington Parish Council to start planning dementia friendly work there.

• I will be catching up with Ivybridge Town Council in the new year working with them under the Dementia Friendly Ivybridge initiative, to arrange visiting businesses in the town and encouraging them to work towards becoming dementia friendly.



November - It Has Been An Especially Busy Time

1/12/2025

It has been an especially busy time during November.

• I met with Councillor Margaret Grafton (Ermington Parish Council Dementia Friendly Lead) to talk about a starting point for working towards making Ermington a dementia friendly parish (03/11/25). We are planning to catch up again in January to put plans in place to move forward with discussed actions.

• I attended a parish meeting in Harford (05/11/25) to talk about the work of 4RDA and the support available to become dementia friendly. Two councillors agreed to be co-leads for dementia friendly work.

• I met with Suzi Garrod (Chief Executive and Dementia and Palliative Care Lead, Tumbly Hill Wellbeing Hub in Kingsbridge) to discuss memory cafes (25/11/25).

• Subsequent to the presentation I gave about my role with 4RDA and how the parishes are starting to work on becoming dementia friendly, with support, at the South Hams Dementia Forum in Totnes (15/10/25), South Dartmoor Community Energy, who were present, asked me to deliver a dementia awareness session to their team. I did this out in South Brent (26/11/25). They expressed interest in becoming a dementia friendly organisation so I am currently in the process of arranging a meeting to discuss this further with them.

• I had an information stand alongside my 4RDA colleagues at the Ivybridge Christmas Festival (28/11/25). This was a lovely community event and we spoke to and gave information out to a few people. I will be catching up with Councillor Crystal Cao (Ivybridge Town Council dementia friendly lead) in the new year to visit businesses in the town with her, share the dementia friendly guide for retailers and offer support to them to become dementia friendly.

• The dementia friendly guide I wrote for schools has now been printed. The guide for retailers is still currently being edited before going for printing. I have also completed the draft of the dementia friendly guide for GP practices which is going to be edited next.

A few other things in the pipeline are:

• I will be attending the Erme and Yealm Caring Alliance meeting in Ivybridge (10/12/25) and will give an update on the work of both 4RDA and Dementia Friendly Parishes Around the Yealm.

• I will be attending the 4RDA meeting (15/12/25) to give an update as above.

• I will start drafting an information pack for the care sector.

• I am booked to attend Modbury Parish Council’s Community Engagement Committee meeting (13/01/26) to discuss ways of starting to work on making Modbury more dementia friendly.