Advocacy

“It's not just people with dementia who benefit. Everyone does. Because we're building communities.”

David Leahy, Musician and Dancer

A group of people sit and stand together outdoors, smiling and facing the camera.image credit: Jen Holland

Our mission extends beyond delivering our own creative activities; we aim to raise awareness, foster understanding and to champion the rights of people living with dementia and our supporters.

Find out more about our work to ensure these stories are told and voices heard.

A woman supports an older man who is suspended on an aerial hoop, above the ground. He is facing left, using his arms to hold himself in the hoop as his legs help to balance him above the ground.image credit: Jen Holland

We're passionate about creating a society more inclusive of our community, so often excluded from life-enhancing opportunities and forms of expression the majority take for granted.

That's why we're leading the work in Kent and Medway to build the sustainable arts infrastructure needed to enable people with dementia to access high quality arts and culture experiences, with all the evidenced health benefits this brings.

A group of people playing instruments stand in a warmly lit room with tables of people watching behind them.image credit: Jen Holland

We know our work has a big effect on preventing secondary disability and crisis in families.

We're building links with health and care colleagues to ensure more people can benefit from our support and therefore reduce the need for stressful and costly use of some health care services.

A woman wearing glasses holds up a handwritten sign which reads I'm old but I'm not dead!image credit: Miriam Simmons

We work with leading dementia advocates and ambassadors to ensure our work evolves to meet the immediate needs of the community and surpasses expectations.

Our work with author, self-advocate and NHS Dementia Envoy Keith Oliver not only offers authoritative insight into the impact of our sessions, but also into the broader impact beyond the sessions themselves, demonstrating the value of creativity in everyday life....read more

A luggage tag with the word courage written on it is held by someone. All we see of them is their hand.image credit: Andrew Hayes-Watkins
Three women are holding hands, two are facing each other, dancing and smiling. They are in a big room filled with other people dancing and talking. The lights in the room offer a warm glow.image credit: Jen Holland

As a passionate advocate of everyday creativity in supporting people to live well with dementia, Keith’s work and influence are extensive, including as a member of the 3 Nations Dementia Working Group, writing and editing multiple texts on the subject of dementia, and being a founding-member of the long-standing advocacy group, The Forget Me Nots.

We have collaborated with Keith over a number of years, which has seen him play a vital advisory role when it comes to developing our programme, as well as attending our Zest and Picture This sessions himself.

Keith’s knowledgeable and independent insight into the experiences of people living with dementia, from diagnosis and support services through to involvement with the mainstream community, shines a light on the importance of creativity throughout people’s dementia journey.

The invaluable perspective this collaboration provides helps to shape and support the Bright Shadow agenda.

Read more about Keith's experiences in his own words here.read less

Impact
Creative Programme