Essex Freemasons and MCF supporting Essex Dementia Care
Chris Hicks, Provincial Grand Charity Steward expounds on the support given to Essex Dementia Care
For nearly 20 years Essex Dementia Care have been providing support for people living with dementia, their families and support network. They are a stand-alone group working alongside other support groups ensuring that vulnerable people living with dementia do not fall through the cracks and receive help and assistance.
Essex Freemasons in conjunction with the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) have made a grant of £15,000 over the next three years to enable them to continue this good work.
Essex Dementia Care https://www.essexdementiacare.org.uk was started in 2006 by Tess Perrin, an Occupational Therapist in Essex, when she had clients who were not getting dementia support, so she decided to do something about it!
Currently 30 volunteers and staff support more than 115 people through ‘Oasis’ and ‘Everyday Counts’ groups in centres around Essex. These operate five days a week, in five different centres, Springfield, Broomfield, Writtle, Sandon and Bradwell. People can come to as many, or as few, of these as they need, all are welcomed.
Kelly Bleasdale, Senior Manager, said, “The money from the Freemasons will allow us to open another centre in a new location to extend our support to even more people with dementia, our aim is to open a new centre each year. Services in Essex are improving but we always need more.”
It takes around £400,000 per year to run the Essex Dementia Care services across the county. All this funding comes from donations both large and small, every penny counts towards the care.
Provincial Grand Charity Steward, Chris Hicks said, “Essex Freemasons are continuing to support the vulnerable and those with health issues, it is part of our ‘Service’ principal to help where we can. I have seen the devastation dementia can visit on a family and helping Essex Dementia Care shows the care Freemasons have.”
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Top (L-R): Kelly Bleasdale and Chris Hicks
