The launch of Meeting Centres Scotland

This week we hear from Dr Shirley Evans, Director of the Association for Dementia Studies, who reflects on her trip to Dundee for the launch of Meeting Centres Scotland on the 25^th March 2024. Over to you Shirley…

A rainy Sunday was spent travelling up to Dundee  from the Welsh Borders for the much anticipated launch of Meeting Centres Scotland. Such a journey involved four trains but it all worked like clockwork and the journey was super-productive. The Premier Inn at which I overnighted is located by the River Tay and only five minutes from the modern and stylish Dundee Station. The short walk involved passing the V & A Dundee and Discovery Point and RRS Discovery. What a shame I was travelling back the following day.

It is amazing to reflect on how Meeting Centres have developed in Scotland since an email from Graham Galloway, then of Kirrie Connections and now Chief Executive Officer of Meeting Centres Scotland, came into our inbox late one Friday evening in November 2017. Graham said that he had been reading about Meeting Centres and that it might fit in with their developments at Kirrie Connection and could he have “a wee chat please?” The rest, as they say, is history.

A short time-line involves Emeritus Professor Dawn Brooker and me travelling up to Kirriemuir for the information and planning group meeting in May 2018. This was followed by Graham and his team visiting Droitwich Spa, Leominster and Powys Meeting Centres in the August on a fact finding mission. Kirrie Connections Meeting Centre opened on the 14th May 2019 and we attended the official launch of Kirrie Connections Meeting Centre in August 2019. The evolution of Meeting Centres in Scotland is documented in our blog dated 3rd March 2022. So only two years ago but much as happened since then, not least the one Meeting Centre becoming 22 with another eight in the pipeline.

The launch of Meeting Centres Scotland was held at the Mal Masion Hotel (other hotels in Dundee are available) and was attended by around 90 people including a significant number of people affected by dementia. This evidenced the Meeting Centres Scotland policy of a third people living with dementia, a third carers and a third other interested parties/stakeholders. The purpose of Meeting Centres Scotland is to support the development and growth of dementia Meeting Centres. They believe in providing innovative and person-centred care for individuals living with dementia and their families. The organisation will serve as a central hub for resources guidance and collaboration for existing and emerging Meeting Centres. They will do this through guidance and training; networking and collaboration; advocacy and awareness and research and evaluation.

It really was a day of celebration and it was wonderful to see ‘old’ friends such as those from Striving Towards a New Day (STAND) including Ruth McCabe seen below sporting their purple uniform. STAND produce some excellent and free resources and have written and recorded an album.

Our very own Dawn Brooker, who is President of Meeting Centres Scotland, was one of the speakers in the morning session joining us online and captured much of the thinking in the room:

Meeting Centres aren’t rocket science… It’s not a lack of evidence. It a lack of funding

Professor Dawn Brooker MBE

And Dawn reminded us that Scotland is the first place, outside of the Netherlands, that has Meeting Centres embedded in their National Dementia Strategy.

Jan Beattie of the Scottish Government Dementia Policy Unit spoke about timing being everything and that Meeting Centres bring something valuable, and stressed the importance of an international evidence base – that this is something really unique and brings reassurance with it.

Other speakers included: Marie Todd, Scottish Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport who joined us online; Geraldine Campbell of the Scottish Government Dementia Policy Unit speaking with Jan Beattie; Katherine Crawford Chief Executive Officer of Age Scotland speaking about the importance of partnership working; Irene Donaldson speaking about the importance of coproduction in Meeting Centres and Graham Galloway and Jim Campbell presenting on the Meeting Centres Scotland website and the online academy just before Ron Coleman’s closing remarks ahead of lunch. Ron emphasised that the principle of a third, a third, a third should not be an aspiration, it should be the reality.

It is easy to have aspirations. If we put it in place we can prove not only that it might work but that it does work

Ron Coleman

A highlight of the morning was a preview of the Meeting Centre documentary. There is more about the making of this film in our blog from last year.

In the afternoon we were treated to a brilliant workshop led by Willy Gilder – ‘My Dream Meeting Centre.’ This was a great workshop where we looked at what is core to a Meeting Centre, what would be nice to have and what is our dream. There is more about this on the Meeting Centres Scotland blog.

The event was hugely inspirational to those of us who are thinking about a Meeting Centres England ‘group’ and Graham and Ron will be speaking about their experience to interested parties from England on the 19th April 2024.

I don’t think I could put it better than Jan Beattie who earlier had said, “Meeting Centres are alive and clearly thriving.”

Thanks Shirley, it sounds like an amazing event. To keep up to date with the work of Meeting Centres Scotland you can find them on Twitter/X at @ScottishMCN. We also try to share their posts via the main Meeting Centre account @MeetingCentres   

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

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