A SMALL community in north Worcestershire has been playing its part in trying to raise awareness of dementia by hosting a roadshow as part of a national campaign.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid also gave his support to the drive raising awareness and understanding of dementia.

He attended the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Community Roadshow when it called in at Becketts Farm shop, restaurant, cookery school, conference and business centre at Wythall, north Worcestershire, on part of its national tour. The charity says an estimated 2,300 people over 65 in Redditch and Bromsgrove alone.

Alzheimer’s Society staff and volunteers were on hand to offer free information and advice to anyone with queries about the condition, as well as helping to promote the benefits of an early diagnosis. Many people took the opportunity to find out more and ask questions.

Sajid Javid MP said: “A lot of hard work is going into building dementia friendly communities and it is great to see Wythall joining in as I believe there are nearly 200 of them. I was glad to come along and support Becketts Farm, Wythall Parish Council and Alzheimer’s Society in raising awareness about dementia.”

There is still a lack of understanding about dementia and this can lead to stigma along with people not seeking support or being aware that there is support available.

Gill Read, Services Manager for Alzheimer’s Society, said: “The roadshow enabled the Worcestershire team to continue to raise awareness in the community. We were delighted with the response we received in Wythall, reaching out to those people that wanted information or to talk to one of our dedicated staff for advice and support.

“By going out into places such as Wythall we have spoken to people who may not have been aware of the local services and support that is currently available.”

The event was organised with help from Wythall Parish Council and was supported by Phoenix Group along with Age UK.

Councillor Sue Baxter, chairman of Wythall Parish Council, said: “Over the past few months, everyone I have spoken to has been touched by dementia. We just want to make Wythall a dementia friendly community to enable people to live life to the full.

“Our ambition is to set up a dementia action alliance in Wythall and we want to be out there for people who need support.”

Wythall's next event will be a pop up dementia café and information event at The Hub, Woodrush Leisure Centre, Shawhurst Lane, Wythall B47 5JW on Thursday October 19 from 2pm to 4pm. Call Alzheimer's Society's Helen Attree on 01905 621868 for more information.

• According to the Alzheimer’s Society there are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025. This will soar to 2 million by 2051.

• Dementia is now recorded as the leading cause of death in England and Wales and this is partly because more people are now receiving a diagnosis of dementia than before; our ageing population means that more people are living longer, and so are more likely to develop dementia and there have been changes in the way that the cause of death is recorded, which means that dementia is logged on death certificates more often.

• Alzheimer’s Society funds research into the cause, care, cure and prevention of all types of dementia and has committed to spend at least £150 million on research over the next decade. This includes a £50 million investment in the UK's first dedicated Dementia Research Institute.