With the initial target now reached, The Sid Valley Memory Café is in the process of recruiting its Admiral Nurse.

The dementia specialist is trained by Dementia UK which has been providing trained nurses across the country for the past 25 years.

The charity’s chief Admiral Nurse Hilda Hayo congratulated the committee and the community this week and called the Sid Valley’s work a ‘tremendous achievement.’

She said: “What has been so notable is the real community spirit that has been behind the initiative; it’s not just been a select few people who have been involved in the fundraising, but a large variety of residents who have held numerous events.

“Without the committee members’ drive and tenacity to raise awareness of the difference an Admiral Nurse will make to families living with dementia in Sid Valley, this level of funds would not have been collected so quickly.”

Since 1990 the nurses have provided practical and emotional support to families throughout the UK, growing from London as far as Glasgow.

The nurses were named in memory of Joseph Levy CBE BEM. The British Empire Medal recipient was affectionately known as ‘Admiral Joe’ because of his love of sailing.

When he was diagnosed with vascular dementia, his family saw the need for a service to provide support for loved ones and put in place funding for staff training.

The Sid Valley’s nurse would be the first in Devon.

Mrs Hayo said: “The Admiral Nurse will support families in Sid Valley emotionally, practically, and psychologically throughout the dementia journey. Admiral Nurses use a range of specialist interventions to help the family to improve communication, maintain relationships, and manage any feelings of loss as the condition progresses.

“They also join up different parts of the health and social care system so the needs of the family can be addressed in a coordinated way. Admiral Nurses are proven to prevent crises, alleviate depression, reduce stress and help to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.”