Our Project
A place for the community - a place to transform local dementia support
Transformational dementia support in the heart of our community
West Berkshire Dementia Hub was set up as an independent charity in 2024. The initial idea came about before the pandemic when Greenham Trust was bequeathed a substantial sum of money by the Abbeyfield Society which was closing its operation in Newbury.
The fund was ring-fenced for the care of elderly people and the visionary CEO of Greenham Trust, the late Chris Boulton, was looking at how to make best use of it. He and James Wilcox, CEO of the Fair Close Centre in Newbury, recognised that the big challenge facing health and social care in this demographic was dementia. Numbers were going up and, particularly after the pandemic, individuals and their family carers were reporting that they were struggling to find their way around the system and were feeling abandoned and unsupported.
Funded by Greenham and with the backing of Josie Reed, then Chair of Trustees at Fair Close, James went around the country to find out what provision was available. He found his way to Sage House, near Chichester in West Sussex, an innovative example of dementia support which already had a proven track record and academic evaluation that demonstrated its significant value to the dementia community and savings to the NHS. This model and the dedicated team that run it have been the inspiration for the project in West Berkshire.
Can you help us transform dementia support in West Berkshire? Click on the link below to make a donation
Making it happen
A site has been identified on land belonging to the NHS just to the east of West Berkshire Community Hospital and over the last 12 months, work has continued on the design of the building and the delivery of services within it. After a competitive tender process, architects HNW were appointed. The building will be approximately 8,400 square feet, on one floor, centred around a welcoming cafe and a courtyard garden. It will comply with rigorous environmental and sustainability requirements and be designed on dementia friendly principles. The aim is to submit a planning application later in 2026, with contractors starting on site in 2027 and to open the doors by mid 2028.
Within the building, there will be a full range of dementia support services. The NHS Memory Assessment Service, currently based with all Adult Mental Health services in Beechcroft House on the West Berkshire Community Hospital site, will run its clinics in the new building and follow-on support will include one-to-one ‘wayfinding’ from the moment of diagnosis onwards. Provision will include access to activities focussed on brain health and rehabilitation, assistive dementia technology, complementary therapies, legal and welfare advice, together with training, education and information enabling individuals and their families to manage better for longer.
The Hub will be a central focus for all local organisations already providing dementia support services across the area. Working together, this will provide seamless assistance from pre-diagnosis throughout the dementia journey to deliver the best quality of life to an individual and their family.
‘I'm delighted to add my support to this exciting project. I am confident that the West Berkshire Dementia Hub will ensure better outcomes for people suffering with dementia as well as providing welcome support for their families. We know that the number of people in West Berkshire living with this distressing condition is predicted to increase substantially over the next decade and co-locating the full range of services at a single, purpose-built location will play a huge part in addressing the challenges we face individually and as a community. The Dementia Hub will be a very welcome addition to our excellent local health and care services and I look forward to seeing it open.’
Funding the project
The estimated capital cost of the project is £4.75 million to buy the land and build, fit out and resource the Hub. Greenham Trust has committed £800,000 towards the building. This sum, together with a further donation of £250,000, has been made available for match-funding which means any donations via Greenham’s Good Exchange funding platform, up to this amount, will automatically be doubled. Please click here to give.
For further information on ways to support West Berkshire Dementia Hub click here.