A NEW café to support people living with dementia and their carers has been officially opened.

The Saltney Memory Café was opened at Douglas Place Community Centre on Woodall Avenue by The Dementia Friendly Saltney Steering Group.

The café has been made possible with the support and partnership working of NEWCIS, a non-profit organisation that supports carers in the community, Flintshire Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council and the community and residents of Saltney.

Cllr Christine Jones, cabinet member for social services at Flintshire Council, said: “This is the seventh dementia café we have opened in Flintshire.

”I’m proud of the dedication of Flintshire Council staff and their partner organisations who continue to work hard to ensure we continue to raise awareness and support people with dementia and their carers.

“To date, our cafés have been a huge success and I am sure this one in Saltney will be no different.”

The café has been created to remove the boundary line between Flintshire and Cheshire West and Chester so people living with dementia and their carers can jointly access support and advice.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Cheshire West and Chester cabinet member for communities, said: “Working with Flintshire Council we will continue to raise awareness of dementia and help support the Saltney community to become more dementia friendly to enable people living with dementia, their families and carers to feel supported, less isolated and more involved in their local community.”

Memory cafés provide a social activity, along with the provision of information, for anyone affected by memory problems even if they do not have a diagnosis.

If anyone is worried about their memory they can go along to their nearest café to get information and support and talk to other people who are in a similar situation.

Cllr Veronica Gay, chairman of Dementia Friendly Saltney, said: “I have wanted to help develop a dementia café in Saltney.

”Many of the residents in my ward who live with and support people who have been diagnosed with early onset dementia approached me as there was nowhere locally and they needed to travel around Flintshire to get support.

“I’d like to thank Ray Peters and his team of volunteers for hosting the memory café at Douglas Place. I am delighted this has now happened and very proud that it is also being supported by Cheshire West and Chester, especially as Saltney is so interlinked with and relies on services in Chester. This fantastic community team effort has resulted in a great resource for people living with dementia and their carers.”

Dementia cafés provide a safe, comfortable and supportive environment for people with dementia and their carers to socialise.

As well offering a range of fun and engaging activities, they give both carers and people with dementia a chance to get information and advice and talk to others with similar problems.

The Saltney Memory Café is open once a month every second Tuesday, from 1-3pm.

For more details, call Luke Pickering-Jones on 01352 702655.