Dementia Arts Group

Dementia Arts Group runs every Monday morning at Salisbury Arts Centre, from 10:30am to 12:00pm. It's a weekly session that runs from 14 September through to 14 December, so it's a proper stretch of a term rather than a one-off. Each session costs £5 per person, and everyone needs their own ticket.

The group is a partnership between Wiltshire Creative, Beyond Dementia (formerly Alzheimer's Support) and DANCE SIX-0, and it came about after community feedback called for more accessible support focused on the therapeutic value of art, music and movement. It builds on more than 30 years of Beyond Dementia supporting people living with dementia and their families across Wiltshire, and draws on the success of the charity's other community groups around the county.

What makes it a bit different from a standard class is how the programme works. Each month it rotates through art, music, dance and a memory café, so you're not doing the same thing every week. The sessions are designed to stimulate, uplift and connect people living with dementia and their carers, who are encouraged to join in. Trained volunteers are on hand throughout, and the rotating format means there's always something new to try.

Sarah Gregson, take part director at Wiltshire Creative, puts the scale of it into perspective: an estimated 1.4 million people in the UK will be living with dementia by 2040, with 8,300 diagnosed in Wiltshire alone. That's the context the group sits in. It runs every Monday morning from 10:30am to 12:00pm at Salisbury Arts Centre, £5 per person per session.