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Dec 2023

Last Updated: 18/12/2023

The Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2023: An important message from Dementia Forward’s CEO

by Flora Grafton

| 18 Dec, 2023

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 spoke to Dementia Forward's founder and CEO, Jill Quinn.

"I sometimes feel national charities have lost touch with local communities.

"The need for dementia support was huge and the funding was usually decided in London.

"We felt we could do a better job by being rooted in the community."

It was this realisation that prompted Jill Quinn MBE to improve local dementia support in the Harrogate district.

Jill, who previously worked for two national dementia charities, said she wasted many years in retail management before realising that the voluntary sector was where she belonged.

Dementia Forward was born in 2012 after Jill and other founding members left their previous healthcare jobs on a Friday and launched the charity the following Monday.

The team places need at the centre of the charity – something that can’t be done from 200 miles away. She added:

"People know when they put their pound in the pot, they’d be getting better services in the local area.

"You can’t design a service to be delivered in the local area from an office in London."

It began with just seven members of staff. The team were donated second-hand laptops and worked from a small office in Ripon.

Now, with a flagship hub in Burton Leonard, 64 employees and more than 250 volunteers, Jill was right – Dementia Forward can serve the local community better.

It now covers the whole of North Yorkshire and helps more than 4,000 families.

“It was meant to a small, fluffy, local charity, but we hit a model that works.

“I like to believe every single person at Dementia Forward is just as passionate as me.”

Jill and her team made – and still make – it their mission to help those living with dementia and the people around them from the very early stages, all the way until end of life.

“We meet people, we gently inform them of what may come in the years ahead, and then we’re here for them going forward.

“We don’t hold hands with people because they’re independent enough, but we’re just an arm’s length away.”

The charity also educates people in the wider community on dementia, as Jill felt general awareness of the disease was very poor when it started, and has worked with transport companies, shops and churches to increase knowledge.

She has also led the charity to receive various awards for its work, including the Queen's Voluntary Service Award and the King’s Fund Impact Award.

Jill said:

“It’s hard to describe what Dementia Forward means to be – it’s just my life.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve done, but there’s still a lot to do, and some things are harder to fundraise for than others – like a minibus.”

Dementia Forward offers various social events and groups to combat loneliness and bring those living with dementia together. The groups go on regular trips out and many use the minibus service to access the support services.

However, Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and tired 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 give generously to those who need our help this Christmas. Click here to donate whatever you can – you never know when you, your family or your friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.

Thank you.

If you need urgent help or have a dementia-related enquiry, call 0330 057 8592 to speak to a helpline adviser.