Set up in 2010 Honiton Memory Café is a volunteer led friendly meeting place for people who have a new diagnosis of dementia or who are experiencing difficulties with their memory. We positively encourage our Friends to come along with their carer, a family member or a friend.
Any enquires can be made by phone to our Memory Café Coordinator on 07789 104 601 or by email to info@dementiahoniton.org.uk.
We meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday afternoon of each month in the Methodist Chapel Hall Chapel Street Honiton EX14 1EY.
Memory Cafes are informal social places where you can go for advice, support and friendship.
The social side is probably the most important aspect of the café. It gives a chance to have a cuppa and a cake, chat with friends and share what is going on for you with others in a similar situation.
Our Admiral Nurse [specialist dementia nurse] is a regular visitor to the café and you can ask to have a quiet chat with her during the afternoon.
Through this group you can join in many other social activities offered by Dementia Friendly Honiton including our Ambling Group, Nostalgic Cinema, Short Mat Bowling, Pub lunches, Theatre trips and Days out.
Honiton Memory Café is run by volunteers who are kind, understanding and have some basic training. We are unable to offer any kind of personal care and we are not a drop in centre or day care facility for people with specific health needs. If you need more than we are able to offer, then we are happy to chat on the phone about where might be more appropriate for you.
Our broadest aims are to help anyone touched by dementia feel valued, accepted and included and to help “today” be a good one for not only our Memory Café Friends but for our Volunteers too.
What other people have said about Honiton Memory Café:
“It is really nice to just be me and not to worry about what others might be thinking of us”
“I only popped in for a few minutes to see what it was all about and ended up staying two hours. Such fun and I will definitely be back next month”
“It’s free, relaxed and welcoming”
‘One of the friendliest places I have ever been”
“Delicious homemade cakes and if you are lucky you get to win one of the lovely fresh floral table decorations in the raffle”
‘What lovely people”
“I always leave with a smile on my face and a skip in my step”
Thelma Hulbert Gallery
The value of creativity to our wellbeing cannot be underestimated and is much needed in our community of all ages and backgrounds. THG has enjoyed running artist-led workshops and art activities for Honiton Memory Café participants both at the gallery and the café. We have found that during the sessions, the act of creating often initiates conversations with the participants and their carers, bringing back memories of creating art or heritage crafts with their families.
Fiona Page Turner, Thelma Hulbert Gallery
Honiton Community College Sixth Form
“The awareness training we receive is a great introduction for us all to appreciate Dementia and how we can adopt simple things in our own families and jobs to create a better outcome for us all in the way we communicate and understand peoples needs with Dementia.
We love going to the memory café when we can and seeing all of the members who make us feel really welcome. Wonderful cakes too! Some highlights of our involvement with the group have been our 24 Triathlon event in 24hrs where we helped raise funds to provide Fay – our Towns Admiral Nurse.
Fay continues to be part of our own community helping students who have family with Dementia which we know is greatly appreciated. The best memory by far was last year when we raised well over a £1000 when we took to the dance floor for a continuous 24hrs and welcomed all of the Memory Café to our event to dance the afternoon away with us. This was just before the national lockdown and we are particularly proud that some of this money raised allowed the members to stay in touch for their remote sing a longs via Zoom in lockdown. We feel very proud to be part of the group and that this will continue with the youth of Honiton for many more years.”
Students from HCC Sixth Form
Honiton Scout Troup
“The Scout Group members like to make something for the members to be given out at the AGM as we want to be part of their lives. We always try and make a card, windmill or some other craft item as well as giving them a pot with flowering bulbs in it. With the bulbs we know that the members enjoying watching them grow and we often get stopped in the street to say how the bulbs are doing and they love them.”
Helen Turner, Honiton 1st Scouts