The Sid Valley Admiral Nurse could be in post by March as health groups begin their search for Devon’s first dementia specialist.

Dementia UK has advertised for registered nurses with dementia care experience to apply for the post - with the aim to recruit for early next year.

The position is supported by the Sid Valley Memory Café, which with the help of the Herald, raised £100,000 to fund a nurse for two years.

The nurse will be employed by the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and work as part of the community nursing team in Sidmouth.

Adrian Ford, trustee for the memory cafe, said the charity was ‘absolutely delighted’ recruiting had commenced.

He added: “We are greatly looking forward to the successful candidate starting work early in the new year.

“The memory café, alongside the local community, will continue its fundraising efforts to ensure that our Admiral Nurse will be a continuous source of support for families affected by dementia over the years to come.”

Rachel Johnstone, business development officer for Dementia UK, said: “We are delighted to announce that we are now in a position to start the recruitment process to bring an Admiral Nurse to the Sid Valley.

“This brings us that step closer to providing vital support for families affected by dementia - which has been made possible by the tremendous amount of community fundraising over the past 18 months and support from the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.

“We will be looking for a registered nurse with a wealth of expert, clinical experience in dementia care - and an unrivalled sense of compassion to make a difference to families.

“We would hope that, by the end of March 2017, Sid Valley will have its own Admiral Nurse, the first in Devon.”

The closing date for the application is Wednesday, December 7.

Interviews will take place on Wednesday, December 14.

To apply, visit NHS Jobs www.jobs.nhs.uk using reference 185-A-16-37813.