Skip to content

Mark Dementia Awareness Week in your library

During Dementia Awareness Week (18 to 24 May), libraries around the country are holding a host of events and activities to raise awareness of the services they offer for people with dementia and their carers and to support dementia friendly communities.

As part of the week’s activity, several of the Reading Well Books on Prescription for dementia authors will be visiting libraries – from Newcastle and St Helens to Rutland and Westminster – to read from their books, answer questions and chat with audiences.

If you’re interested in meeting one of the Reading Well authors, you can find a round-up of events below. For more information about any of the events, please email [email protected]

Monday 18 May

York Explore
Visit York Explore on Museum Street to hear York-based author Ian Donaghy discuss his book Dear Dementia: The Laughter and the Tears (Hawker) from 6 to 7pm. Tickets are free but booking is essential. Find out more.

Newcastle City Library
Jessica Shepherd, author of Grandma (Child’s Play), will be running sessions for local primary schools, using her sensitive and practical picture book to talk about dementia with Year 5 and 6 students.

Tuesday 19 May

Bedford Central Library
Join Chris Carling, author of But Then Something Happened (Golden Books), as she shares her experiences of caring for her parents, both of whom had dementia of different kinds. The event starts at 2.30pm and tickets are £1, available from Bedford Central Library in advance.

St John’s Wood Library, Westminster
Visit St John’s Wood Library from 6 to 7pm to hear Dr Alex Bailey discuss his book Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias: Answers at Your Fingertips (Class Health) and answer your questions. Find out more.

Wednesday 20 May

St Helens Central Library
Rita Salomon, author of Seeing Beyond Dementia: A Handbook for Carers with English as a Second Language (Radcliffe Publishing), will be visiting St Helens Central Library at 2pm to talk about how carers and health professionals can improve their communication skills when engaging with relatives or patients with dementia. If you visit the library from 10am, you can also find out about local services offering support. Find out more.

Neston Library (Cheshire West and Chester)
Helen Bate of Pictures to Share will be joining Neston Library for afternoon tea and reminiscence from 2 to 4pm. It’ll be a friendly and informal session for people with dementia, and their families and carers. Enjoy some refreshments and look at the resources available in the library. You can also bring in your own photographs and memorabilia if you’d like to share them. Find out more.

Thursday 21 May

Oakham Castle (Rutland)
Visit Oakham Castle to listen to Chris Carling talk about her book But Then Something Happened (Golden Books) at 2.30pm. There will also be a drop-in session with dementia support services from 1.30 to 3.30pm. There’ll be tea and biscuits and admission is free. Find out more.

Friday 22 May

York Explore
If you missed Ian Donaghy’s talk on Monday, here’s a second chance to hear him read from his book Dear Dementia: The Laughter and the Tears and answer audience questions. He’ll be at York Explore from 2 to 3pm.

Enfield Town Library
Join Lucy Whitman, author of Telling Tales About Dementia: Experiences of Caring (Jessica Kingsley), from 2.30 to 4pm at Enfield Town Library. Find out more.

Get involved

Find out more about the Reading Well Books on Prescription for dementia titles.

Tell us what you’re doing for Dementia Awareness Week on Twitter using #DAW2015

Back to news

Urgent help