News
Welcome to our news page!
Here you'll find all the latest news from our Mindful Memory Cafés. If you have any news you'd like to share, let us know and we'll add it here. Contact us or see us at one of our groups.
Shreen Harmony and Doves Peace Choir Concert
On THURSDAY, 18th May at 7.30 p.m. Shreen Harmony and Dove Peace Choir are giving a concert in Gillingham Methodist Church, as part of Dementia Awareness Week. Free admission, Light refreshments provided, retiring collection.
Please support this concert. The collection is for Mindful Memory Cafes
Coronation Concert
On Saturday 29th April 2023, in St Mary the Virgin Church, Gillingham, there is a Coronation Concert, with Top Brass and Wind Concert Band, and the local soprano soloist, Arabella Heaton, joined by other musicians and singers.
Entrance is free, with a collection, in aid of Mindful and Dementia Friendly Gillingham. There is a raffle and refreshments are available
Please come along and enjoy some great music.
Christmas 2022
In December we had our annual Christmas Lunch.
This year we returned to the Udder Farm Shop for the second year and enjoyed a great meal, alongside carols from our impromptu choir and Trustee Mike on the guitar.
July 2022
In July we had our annual Summer Outing.
This year our Trustee Peter and his wife Sarah invited us to their beautiful home for a garden party.
It was a wonderful, but rather hot day, but luckily we had the shade of some lovely trees to sit under for tea and cake.
Our raffle was won by Bob who was pleased with his winnings.
Mindful say Goodbye to Brenda Ashman
Brenda was a much loved member of our Stalbridge Mindful Cafe having joined in 2017.
Sadly Brenda lost her brave fight against Lewy Bodies Dementia in January 2022.
Our condolences and thoughts are with Brenda's husband, Keith, and their family.
We'd also like to thank Brenda's family and friends for their kind donations to Mindful at her funeral.
Mindful Christmas Lunch 2021
Last Christmas Mindful were unable to hold a Christmas Lunch, so we were overjoyed we could this year.
It was so lovely to see everyone together again, enjoying laughter, songs and some delicious food!
This year we visited The Udder Farm Shop who were brilliant at accommodating us and our needs.
We also enjoyed some wonderful singing, backed by Mike and his guitar.
A big thank you has to be sent out to Morton New Estate Agents, who kindly sponsored this year's Christmas Lunch.
We really appreciate such kind donations as it allows us to continue providing such a much needed service around North Dorset.
More than just a cup of tea and a chat!
Mindful Memory Cafes are more than just offering you a cup of tea and a chat, we provide numerous activities jam packed full of fun!
Since restarting our memory cafes, we have had a visit from Major the guide dog, The Creature Teachers, some songs from Peter and his keyboard, a meet and greet from Alpaca Adventures, and a visit from Sarah at In Jolly Good Company.
In August, our Gillingham café had some very special visitors.
🍾 Champagne Charlie and 🕷️Kuro Kumo (Black Spider) from Alpaca Adventure, in Shaftesbury.
At only a year old, they did a fabulous meet and greet session with our café goers. Everyone had a chance to say hello and ask questions about these delightful creatures.
A few weeks later, we had more animal antics from The Creature Teachers.
They introduced us to a chinchilla, a millipede, a milk snake, a bearded dragon, and a beautiful barn owl!
It was wonderful to hear so many facts about each creature, and get to see so many smiles around the room.
Thanks to some local funding, we have been able to secure many more activities over the next few months. Keep an eye out for updates throughout the year.
Mindful Remembers
Mindful would like to take this opportunity to remember those we have lost in recent times. 2020 was an incredibly tough year for many reasons and sadly we lost a few members too.
Visit our Mindful Remembers page for updated information.
Mindful would like to send our condolences to the families and friends of;
Len Riley - (passed away Aug 2019)
John Juddery (passed away April 2020)
Tony Edgington (passed away Oct 2020)
Mike Shave (passed away December 2020)
Tom O'Connor (passed away January 2021)
Jasmine Taylor - August 2021
Brenda Ashman - January 2022
Patrick Billet - June 2022
Anne Joyce - June 2022
Bob Taylor - February 2023
Walking Fundraiser
Mindful would like to support a much-loved member of Mindful in her wonderful fundraising effort for the Alzheimer's Society.
Lorraine joined us at Mindful many years ago when attending with her husband Phil. Sadly, Phil has since passed away, but Lorraine remains a dedicated attendee to our Stalbridge Cafe.
Lorraine is attempting an 'End to End Walk' of 875 miles.
Lorraine walks each day and records her efforts on Strava and uploads the information to the End to End website.
With over 440 miles completed already, Lorraine is well on her way to achieving her goal, despite the cold weather. Lorraine would like to thank everyone who has donated so far! Here are some of her walk photos...
To support Lorraine, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lorraine-mary-williams
Lockdown 3.0
January 2021 and we're here again!
Unfortunately Mindful has had to postpone all face to face activities once again.
We are still running our weekly online cafes on a Monday morning at 11am.
These virtual coffee mornings are held via Zoom. All current Mindful members are welcome, as well as new members wanting to join in.
For details on how to join the online meeting, please contact Barbara who will provide you with information on how to log on and join in.
The Zoom meetings consist of a brief catch up from each person and a chit chat on how their weeks have been, followed by an activity such as some quiz questions, a picture game or even some live music from trustee and volunteer Peter.
Contact Barbara - 07910 663392 or email: barbara.turnbull@talktalk.net
Lockdown 2.0
Unfortunately Mindful has had to postpone all face to face activities once again.
We are still running our weekly online cafes on a Monday morning at 11am.
These virtual coffee mornings are held via Zoom. All current Mindful members are welcome, as well as new members wanting to join in.
For details on how to join the online meeting, please contact Barbara who will provide you with information on how to log on and join in.
The Zoom meetings consist of a brief catch up from each person and a chit chat on how their weeks have been, followed by an activity such as some quiz questions, a picture game or even some live music from trustee and volunteer Peter.
Contact Barbara - 07910 663392 or email: barbara.turnbull@talktalk.net
A Mindful Baby
On 22nd September 2020, we had some good news to boost morale.
Trustee Tara, and her partner Niall welcomed baby Finnley into the world. Weighing in at 6lb 1oz, he arrived safely at Dorset County Hospital thanks to their brilliant maternity unit.
Finnley met some of our cafe regulars on a zoom meeting when he was just 6 days old. We look forward to him visiting our face to face cafes once they're back up and running. We'll update this news page with details as and when.
Tara will be continuing in her role as trustee, although in a limited capacity for a short period.
Zoom saves the day!
With life currently restricted, our Mindful Memory Cafés had to be suspended in March. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to provide a weekly online meeting for our members to stay connected.
The meetings have been a great success with around 15 people attending each week.
The online café has meant our members can stay in touch with one another, sharing stories, memories, and their own news with the group.
Scooby, one of our regular Stalbridge guests also joins in, bringing a smile to those who are missing the physical cafés.
We've also had guest appearances from our chairperson Sally's newly hatched chicks!
To join us on Mondays at 11am, simply contact Sally (click here for details) and she will let you know how to join in - it's simpler than you think :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOM!
In May, one of our Men's group regulars celebrated his 91st birthday!
With 'lockdown' in full swing, poor Tom was stuck at home for his big day.
Luckily, our chairperson Sally was able to pay him a socially distanced visit to drop off his favourite treat! JAFFA CAKES!
Mindful Connections
With Covid-19 meaning we had to suspend our regular meetups, we needed a way to ensure we kept in touch with our members and ensure they had everything they needed. When 'lockdown' became official our trustees and volunteers got together online to discuss the best way to do this.
Each trustee and volunteer was allocated a few members each to stay in touch with via phone. With regular texts, phone calls, and even house visits when needed, we have been able to ensure all of our members are being well looked after and have some vital social interaction.
Staying at home during this pandemic can be an incredibly lonely time, particularly for those who live alone. If you or someone you know with memory loss or dementia could do with some support, please visit our support page for how we may be able to assist.
