The ever-expanding Meeting Centre family

Since the start of April, we’ve been sharing daily posts on our social media channels (@DementiaStudies on Twitter, @adsuow on Facebook) to introduce everyone to the different Meeting Centres – and members of the wider Meeting Centre family – throughout the UK. When we started we weren’t quite sure how long it would take as we thought new Meeting Centres might open before we got to the end, and we were right! As a result, we’ve only just finished the daily posts!

We know some people don’t have access to social media, so we’ve pulled all of the information together in this blog. As each Meeting Centre is unique, it would be impossible to tell you everything about them, so we’ve stuck to some basic info and provided some links to help you find out more. Keep an eye out for one in your area.

• Droitwich Spa Meeting Centre, Worcestershire, is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and you can find out more info on their website https://droitwichspameetingcentre.wordpress.com/

• Leominster Meeting Centre, Herefordshire is open Monday to Friday, and their website is www.leominstermeetingcentre.co.uk

• Kirrie Connections, Kirriemuir, Scotland is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with more information on their website www.kirrieconnections.com

• Newtown, Powys, Wales runs every other Tuesday, and people can also join the virtual Meeting Centre every Thursday. The website is http://dementiamatterspowys.org.uk/dementia-meeting-centres

• Evesham & District Meeting Centre, Worcestershire is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and the website is https://edmhss.org/

• Dunblane, Scotland is open on a Wednesday, and their website is www.dementiafriendlydunblane.org

• Brecon, Powys, Wales runs every Thursday, and the website is http://dementiamatterspowys.org.uk/dementia-meeting-centres

• Kidderminster Meeting Centre, Worcestershire is open on Fridays and the website is https://www.ageuk.org.uk/herefordshireandworcestershire/our-services/kidderminster-meeting-centre/

• There are actually three venues forming the North Somerset Meeting Centre. Clevedon is open on Tuesdays, Portishead on Wednesdays and Nailsea on Thursdays. The website is www.aliveactivities.org

• Ystradgynlais, Powys, Wales runs every Tuesday, and people can also join the virtual Meeting Centre every Thursday. The website is http://dementiamatterspowys.org.uk/dementia-meeting-centres

• Worcester, Worcestershire has two Meeting Centre locations. Bank House is open on Mondays while Chantry House is open on Thursdays, and the website is https://www.ageuk.org.uk/worcester-malvern-hills/our-services/dementia-meeting-centres/our-dementia-meeting-centres/

• Howdon, North Tyneside is open on Thursdays and there are plans for a second Meeting Centre. To find out more the website is https://www.ageuk.org.uk/northtyneside/our-services/dementia-services/dementia-coordinators/

• Malvern Link, Worcestershire is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the website is https://www.ageuk.org.uk/worcester-malvern-hills/our-services/dementia-meeting-centres/our-dementia-meeting-centres/

• The Hereford Veterans Meeting Centre is open on Mondays and, as the name suggests, is aimed specifically at veterans. The website is https://www.ageuk.org.uk/herefordshireandworcestershire/our-services/hereford-veterans-meeting-centre/

• Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Wales runs every Monday, and people can also join the virtual Meeting Centre every Thursday. The website is http://dementiamatterspowys.org.uk/dementia-meeting-centres

• Malvern Hills, Worcestershire is open Fridays and the website is https://www.ageuk.org.uk/worcester-malvern-hills/our-services/dementia-meeting-centres/our-dementia-meeting-centres/

• Ross on Wye, Herefordshire is open on Wednesdays and the website is https://www.herefordshiremethodists.org.uk/ross-meeting-centre

• Oldbury Meeting Centre, West Midlands, runs on Tuesdays. The website is https://www.agewelluk.org.uk/ There are also plans to open a second Meeting Centre in the Sandwell area.

• Welshpool, Powys, Wales runs every Wednesday, and the website is http://dementiamatterspowys.org.uk/dementia-meeting-centres

• Not strictly Meeting Centres, but groups run by The Academy for Dementia Research & Education align very closely with the Meeting Centre model and are part of the wider Meeting Centres family. The group in Northampton, Northamptonshire runs on Mondays, while the group in Lutterworth, Leicestershire is Monday to Friday. The website is www.academyfordementia.org

• Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire runs on Tuesdays, and their website is https://www.ageuk.org.uk/herefordshireandworcestershire/our-services/stourport-meeting-centre/

• Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland will shortly be opening a Meeting Centre on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The website is https://www.dementiaprestwick.co.uk/

• Purbeck, Dorset has had to put their Forget Me Not Meeting Centre on hold due to Covid, but keep an eye out for possible developments in the future. The website is https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/forget-me-not

• A new Meeting Centre will be opening in Montrose, Scotland in May for three days a week. We’re not sure of the details, but think this is the email to use if you’re interested! Meetingcentre@montrosect.org.uk

• A new Meeting Centre will be opening in Forfar, Scotland in the next couple of weeks. The website is https://lochsideconnections.co.uk/

• It’s not a full Meeting Centre yet, but this coffee morning in Wirral, has aspirations to become one, and we don’t doubt it will happen! http://retainwellbeing.co.uk/2022/01/26/coffee-mornings-wednesdays-10-12/

• A new Meeting Centre in Bristol is just in the process of opening. The website is www.aliveactivities.org

• New funding has recently been announced to support the opening of Meeting Centres in Redditch and Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, so keep an eye out for future developments

• We’re not sure of the details or timescales at present, but it looks like there’s good progress developing a Meeting Centre in Stornoway, Scotland.

There are also lots of areas with strong potential and interest to open a Meeting Centre, including Tenbury Wells, South Gloucestershire, North Wales, Wolverhampton, Havant, Alton, Aldershot, Liverpool, Musselburgh, Rosyth, Fife, Arbroath and Aberdeenshire. It looks like the Meeting Centres family will be expanding very soon!

We’ve pulled together all of the locations from this blog onto one map to show the current spread of Meeting Centres. It’s probably already out of date though!! Apologies if we’ve missed anyone. Please feel free to get in touch and let us know if there are other Meeting Centres out there.

Thanks to everyone for the tremendous work that’s gone in to getting all of these Meeting Centres up and running.

Connect with ADS on twitter @DementiaStudies and on Facebook @adsuow