Sidmouth swimmers have dipped into their pockets to help support families in the Sid Valley who are living with dementia.

Adrian Ford, chairman of the Sid Valley Memory Café, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Sidmouth Rotary Club and their Swimathon for their continued support for the Memory Café and the Admiral Nurse Campaign.

“This very generous donation is particularly timely as like many charities our fund raising activities have been severely restricted during the pandemic. At the same time families in the Sid Valley who are living with dementia, have faced additional problems. As lockdown arrived, support for the wider family became more difficult due to a number of local services closing or stopping face-to-face contact, resulting in families becoming more isolated. People with dementia have arguably been hit hardest with a national increase of over 50% in additional deaths not Covid-19 related.

“In this environment, the support of our Admiral Nurse has played an increasingly important role. When things get challenging or difficult for people with dementia and their families, Admiral Nurse works alongside them, providing the compassionate one-to-one support, expert guidance, and practical solutions that can be difficult to find elsewhere.

“Admiral Nurse is a lifeline helping families to live more positively with dementia in the present, and to face the challenges of tomorrow with more confidence and less fear.”