Dementia Arts Group

The Dementia Arts Group is back at Salisbury Arts Centre on Mondays, with the new run starting 4 January and continuing through to 22 March 2027. It's a weekly dementia-friendly group, so it's less a one-off and more a regular thing you can settle into over the winter. The sessions rotate through art, music, dance and a memory café, all led by professional artists rather than just volunteers, and they're designed to be accessible regardless of your experience.

It's one part of Take Part, the participatory programme run by the Take Part team at Wiltshire Creative in collaboration with a local community of artists and creative practitioners. The Dementia Arts Group sits alongside performing arts, visual arts, writing and meditation workshops, so it's part of a wider spread of things going on at the centre. The organisers list it under the 'Accessible', 'Creative' and 'Wellbeing' categories, and they make the point that taking part in creative activities is known to support wellbeing, learning and social connection, whatever your age or experience.

The group is open to people living with dementia and their carers, and the sessions are built around that — the memory café is as much about the company as the activity. Because it's a weekly thing, it's a good way to get out of the house on a Monday and find a regular crowd to come back to. The focus is on building confidence, encouraging self-expression and supporting wellbeing, learning and social connection, and the professional artists on hand keep things moving.

If you're interested, the sessions run every Monday from 4 January to 22 March 2027 at Salisbury Arts Centre in Salisbury. It's a weekly commitment, so it's something you can build into your routine for the first few months of the year.