MORE than 70 people from 12 Trowbridge churches became Dementia Friends at the weekend ahead of Dementia Awareness Week from Monday.

The event, at Bethesda Baptist Church, was led by Claire Thomas of Alzheimer’s Support, who is helping towns across west Wiltshire become more dementia aware.

Next week, it is hoped that 1,000 more people in Wiltshire will sign up as Dementia Friends and the ambitious target has been set by Trowbridge-based charity in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society and Wiltshire Council.

Representatives from Wiltshire Police, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue service, schools and town councils have all arranged to hold one-hour information sessions during the week and there are a number of public sessions that everyone is invited to join.

Babs Harris, CEO of Alzheimer’s Support said: “Dementia Friends is a brilliant way for people from all walks of life to find out a little bit more about dementia and the small things they can do to support people they come across who are affected, whether at home or at work. It is not about creating experts and it is not about befriending, but about helping everyone to understand more.”

Dementia Friends was started by the Alzheimer’s Society 2013 as a way to help people understand more about what living with dementia can be like. The lively, interactive one-hour sessions have been a hit, and so far more than 1.5m people in England and Wales have signed up.

In Trowbridge, there will be a Dementia Friends session on Tuesday at the library in County Hall, and another at the Town Hall on Thursday at 11am.

The week will be rounded off in Trowbridge with Alzheimer’s Support’s Family Fun Day in Trowbridge Park on Saturday.

To find out more information about a free session for community groups, call 01225 776581 (East and West Wilts) or 01722 326236 (North and South Wilts).