By 
Sir Patrick Stewart, who spent 16 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, died this week after living with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. In his memory, here is where to find help with dementia in and around Stratford-upon-Avon: getting a diagnosis, the cafés and clubs that meet every week, day care, and support for the people who care.
On this page
At a glance
- First call: Dementia Connect in Warwickshire, run by Alzheimer’s Society, on 0333 150 3456 (Monday to Wednesday 9am–8pm, Thursday and Friday 9am–5pm, weekends 10am–4pm). It helps anyone living with dementia or caring for someone who is.
- Worried about your memory? Start with your GP, who can refer you to the NHS Community Dementia Service at Stratford Healthcare Centre on Arden Street.
- In Stratford every week: Café WRAP in Bishopton (Fridays, free, no need to book), the Sporting Memories Club (Mondays) and the Together Lunch Club at VASA (Thursdays).
- Urgent help, day or night: the NHS Mental Health Access Hub on freephone 08081 966 798.
Worried about your memory?
Talk to your GP first. They can refer you to the NHS Community Dementia Service, run by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, which assesses memory problems for adults and supports people and their families after a diagnosis. Its Stratford base is Stratford Healthcare Centre, Arden Street, CV37 6NQ (0300 303 4017, Monday to Friday 9am–5pm).
The first appointment usually takes about two hours. It may lead to a diagnosis of dementia, of mild cognitive impairment, or show that the memory problems have another cause. After a diagnosis the service can offer a care coordinator, help with medication and introductions to local groups.
Dementia Connect: advice at every stage
Dementia Connect in Warwickshire is the county’s main advice service, run by Alzheimer’s Society and funded by Warwickshire County Council. It gives personalised advice and practical and emotional support to people living with dementia and to carers, at any stage. Call 0333 150 3456 or email dementia.connect@alzheimers.org.uk. The county’s Living Well with Dementia directory lists every local service.
Dementia cafés and clubs in Stratford-upon-Avon
| Group | When | Where | Cost and booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café WRAP | Fridays, 2pm–4pm | Bishopton Community Centre, Drayton Avenue, CV37 9PB | Free, no need to book. 01789 261061 |
| Café Muse (music café) | Second Thursday of the month, 11am–2pm, with lunch | Stratford Methodist Church, Old Town, CV37 6BG | Book in advance on 01926 350028 |
| Sporting Memories Club | Mondays, 10am–12 noon | Stratford Sports Club, Swan’s Nest Lane, CV37 7LS | Booking essential: 01789 296629 |
| Sporting Memories “Love to Move” (for dementia and Parkinson’s) | Alternate Thursdays | Stratford Sports Club | £3, or £5 for two, with a cuppa. 01789 296629 |
| Together Lunch Club | Thursdays, 10am–3pm | VASA, 3 Arden Court, Arden Street | £25 with lunch and activities; booking essential: 01789 777990 |
| Cinema Club | Mondays, 2.30pm | Scholars Mews care home, Scholars Lane, CV37 6HE | Classic films with refreshments; call to book: 01789 297589 |
At the Together Lunch Club, carers can stay, settle their loved one in, or take a few hours for themselves, and a community connector is on hand for advice.
Day care and a break for carers
- Carers Trust Heart of England Day Break, Briar Croft, Stratford: Mondays 10am–3pm, a supported day for the person you care for while you take a break (02476 101040). It also runs at Ettington Lodge on Thursdays and Fridays.
- The Rainbow Care Group day club, Tiddington Scout Hut: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am–4pm, with activities and trips out, and transport available (01926 967228; ask for prices).
In the villages and nearby towns
| Group | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Alcester Café (free drop-in) | Tuesdays and Fridays, 10.30am–12.30pm | Eric Payne Community Centre, Alcester |
| Alcester (Dementia) Day Care (booking required) | Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 9.30am–3.30pm | Baptist Church Hall, Henley Street, Alcester |
| Bidford Dementia Café | Mondays (not bank holidays), 11am–1pm | Crawford Memorial Hall, Bidford-on-Avon |
| Compton Verney Dementia Friends Café | First Thursday of the month, 10.30am–12.30pm | Compton Verney (free pass for the day if you ask the organisers first) |
| Compton Verney Walk and Talk (young onset dementia) | First Wednesday of the month, 11am–1pm | Compton Verney grounds and café (pre-book) |
| Age UK Dementia Day Opportunities | Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9am–3pm (£55 with lunch) | Dell Court, Henley-in-Arden |
| Memory Lane Café (music, tea and cake) | Second and fourth Tuesday, 2pm–4pm | St Nicholas Church Hall, Henley-in-Arden |
| Shipston Dementia Friends Café | Tuesdays, 10.30am–12.30pm | Shipston Lodge, Shipston-on-Stour |
| Down Memory Lane (singing) | First Wednesday, 2pm–3.30pm | Ellen Badger, Shipston-on-Stour |
| Tysoe Dementia Friends Café | Fridays, 10am–12 noon | Tysoe Village Hall |
| Wellesbourne Dementia Friends Café | Wednesdays, 2pm–4pm | Wellesbourne Village Hall |
| Music and Singing for Fun | First Tuesday, 2pm–3.30pm | Wellesbourne Village Hall |
| Oscar’s Dementia Friendly Garden | Daily 10am–5pm May to October, shorter hours in winter | Wellesbourne Allotments, Kineton Road |
The Compton Verney, Shipston, Tysoe and Wellesbourne groups and Oscar’s Garden are run by Talk Dementia (01295 688376). Contact details for the others are in the district council’s leaflet (below).
Support for carers
- Caring Together Warwickshire (Carers Trust Heart of England): support for unpaid carers of all ages, freephone 0800 197 5544, caringtogetherwarwickshire.org.uk.
- Carers Connect, a peer support group for all carers: first and third Saturdays, 10.30am–12 noon, at VASA, 3 Arden Court, Stratford (01789 777990). Also in Wellesbourne Village Hall on the third Monday.
- Looking After a Loved One, a free course for people caring for someone in the early stages of dementia, with talks from solicitors, care organisations and clinicians: WRAP, 01789 261061.
- Alcester Café Carers Group (first Friday and third Tuesday, 11am–12 noon) and Keeping in Touch, for carers whose partner has died or moved into care (first and third Friday), both at the Eric Payne Community Centre.
- Carers4Carers, Kineton Village Hall, fourth Friday 10.30am–12 noon, with a companionship group for the person you care for: carers4carersonthefosse.org.uk.
- Feeling low or struggling to cope? The Coventry and Warwickshire wellbeing helpline is open 24 hours on 0800 616 171.
Other help worth knowing about
- Blue Badge: people with hidden disabilities, including dementia, can apply. Apply at gov.uk/apply-blue-badge.
- Council Tax: a household with someone living with dementia may get a discount. Ask Stratford-on-Avon District Council’s revenues team on 01789 260990.
- Libraries: Warwickshire’s libraries lend Reading Well for Dementia books, Pictures to Share books and memory suitcases, and run a home library service.
- Reminiscence boxes: WRAP lends more than 80 themed memory boxes to families and carers (01789 261061, reminiscence.org.uk).
- In hospital: Admiral Nurses at Warwick Hospital support families when someone with dementia is admitted.
- Dementia UK’s helpline: free on 0800 888 6678, with specialist Admiral Nurses.
- Become a Dementia Friend: Alzheimer’s Society’s free sessions show how to help, at dementiafriends.org.uk.
If you need help urgently
- If someone with dementia is at immediate risk, or their behaviour has become very hard to manage, call the NHS Mental Health Access Hub, freephone 08081 966 798, 24 hours a day. If they’re already under the NHS dementia service, call its Warwick and Stratford duty worker on 01926 450660 instead (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm).
- Adult social care, Warwickshire County Council: 01926 410410 (8.30am–5pm, 4.30pm on Fridays); out of hours, the emergency duty social worker on 01926 886922.
- NHS 111 for urgent medical help, 999 in an emergency.
Dementia support in Stratford: quick answers
Where can I get a memory assessment in Stratford-upon-Avon?
Ask your GP to refer you to the NHS Community Dementia Service, which has a base at Stratford Healthcare Centre on Arden Street. The first appointment usually takes about two hours.
Are there dementia cafés in Stratford?
Yes. Café WRAP meets every Friday afternoon in Bishopton and is free with no need to book. Café Muse, a music café with lunch, meets on the second Thursday of the month at Stratford Methodist Church (book ahead), and the Sporting Memories Club meets on Mondays at Stratford Sports Club.
Who can help me as a carer?
Call Dementia Connect (0333 150 3456) or Caring Together Warwickshire (0800 197 5544). Carers Connect meets twice a month at VASA on Arden Street, and Day Break and the Together Lunch Club give carers a few hours to themselves.
The district council’s free booklet, Activities and Support in Stratford District for people with dementia and their carers, has every group’s contact details.
Alex Harrington
Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.
