DEDICATED dementia organisations met with shoppers at the Angel Place Shopping Centre to offer advice, support and sessions for Dementia Awareness Week.

Businesses and groups from across Sedgemoor, including the Sanctuary Care, Alzheimer’s Society, Notaro Care Homes and Somerset Care went along to the Bridgwater centre between Monday May 15 and Sunday May 20, to help mark Bridgwater’s Dementia Awareness Week.

The town’s Dementia Action Alliance also teamed up with the shopping centre to host three awareness sessions throughout the week.

It gave people a chance to understand dementia and how it impacts the lives of those living with it, including carers, family and friends.

Shopping centre manager Roger Smith said: “As an integral part of the Bridgwater community it is really important to show our support for charities and groups, so it was brilliant to be able to welcome so many organisations to meet our shoppers last week.

“The week started off at Bridgwater and Albion Football Club with the Dementia Action Alliance hosting the town’s first ever Dementia Conference.

“The activity then continued into Angel Place with information on the services available within Somerset and awareness sessions for shoppers at our EDF Visitor Centre, which has seen the number of Dementia Friends at Angel Place increase to 28.”

As part of the activities to mark the nationally-known week, Mr Smith offered Dementia Friends Information Sessions to the security and cleaning teams at Angel Place.

He added: “It is really vital to us that we are able to offer support and care to all our shoppers, so we have provided further training to the centre staff in order to become a dementia-friendly shopping centre.

“Dementia Awareness Week was a huge success with our shoppers and we can’t thank Bridgwater Dementia Action Alliance and the rest of the brilliant organisations, that visited Angel Place, enough for their support and information.”