Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: Care provider brings Dementia Forward one step closer to new minibus

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise money for a minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district. 

The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.

Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas.

Today, we speak about the sponsor of Dementia Forward’s ball.

A local live-in care provider has taken Dementia Forward one step closer to buying a much-needed new minibus.

Promedica24 North Yorkshire & Lancashire, a franchise of Europe’s largest live-in care service, recently sponsored the charity’s inaugural winter ball, helping raise vital funds to continue the support offered by the Dementia Forward team.

More than 140 clients, team members and friends of Dementia Forward arrived in their finery at the ball, which was held earlier this month at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, to celebrate the work of the charity, whose team had transformed the venue into a glistening winter wonderland.

Guests enjoyed a festive three-course meal before being entertained by the St Aidan’s Swing Band.

Ball-goers then took part in an auction and raffle to keep the fundraising pot filling, and the lucky winners bagged themselves a wine experience at Dunesforde Vineyard, a photograph of Fountains Abbey by Richard Egan, and a signed vintage Leeds Rhinos top.

Gary Derbyshire, regional partner at Promedica24, said:

“The Winter Ball was a great success, and I am glad that everyone had such a great time dining and dancing!

“I want to thank all our guests, who were very generous in supporting the fantastic work of Dementia Forward.

“As a local business, it is very important for all of us at Promedica24 to support the local community in which we work, and we were glad to have had the opportunity to sponsor this wonderful event.”

Credit: Stuart Rhodes

Promedica24, which began in Warsaw, has offered a huge range of care services for more than 20 years, including specialised dementia and Alzheimer’s care.

It helps those who would prefer not to move to a care home, but still require high-quality and compassionate support in their own home.

Many of the live-in carers and regional partners are trained to support those living with dementia, meaning they receive quality care from the comfort of their own home, as well as giving their families some much-needed respite.

Promedica24 has helped, and continues to help, more than 33,000 families across Europe and the UK to date.

Credit: Stuart Rhodes

Promedica24 kindly agreed to donate its sponsorship funds to the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal, which aims to raise £30,000 for a new Dementia Forward minibus.

Debby Lennox, community liaison manager for Dementia Forward, said:

“Promedica24 has been incredibly supportive of Dementia Forward over the last few years, so we were delighted that the team not only sponsored our winter ball but came along on the night to enjoy the celebrations.

“It was a wonderful evening, with a real sense that everyone in the room was passionate about our work and making the event a roaring success. This would not have been possible without the generous support of Gary and the team, so we would like to say a huge thank you. We are already excited about the next one!”

Dementia Forward is helping those living with dementia and their carers every week, but the effects of this disease are devastating for everyone involved.

That’s why we need your help to ensure that the vital minibus service continues, and that people carry on receiving the care they need.

Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going.

Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.

Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward, helping us hit our £30,000 target to buy the charity a new minibus and improving the lives of those living with dementia and the people around them.

Please click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or a friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.

Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas. Thank you.

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