‘GUARDIAN Angels’ are ‘ecstatic’ after winning £4,000 to improve their dementia café at Atherton Library.

Good Deeds Trust’s ‘Dementia Buddy Guardian Angels’ were the winners of the Dementia Friends funding awards.

The trust is a charity organisation supporting people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

It was set up two years ago by Cllrs Mark and Karen Aldred while they were mayor and mayoress of the borough.

They now run the dementia café in Atherton Library.

The funding will allow the Dementia Buddy Guardian Angels group to provide activities to ‘help people keep people’s minds going’.

Cllr Karen Aldred said: “We are ecstatic with the win. You hope you are going to do well but when it actually happens!

“We are proud of the group.”

The funding will be used to put on classes such as knitting, outdoor bowling and a film club to help keep people struggling with dementia mentally stimulated.

Cllr Karen Aldred added: “We are hoping to put on activities that will benefit the members.

“We have a local firm providing bird boxes kits for people to make and other people are making stuff as well.

“It really is a group effort.”

In last week’s Dementia Friends event groups had to present their bid in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ situation, with just five minutes to ‘sell’ their application to everyone present. Then 60 members of the public had two votes each to decide the winner, but they could only vote for a group once.

Dementia Buddy Guardian Angels won with around 45 votes, followed closely by the ‘Swimming with Dementia’ group from Howe Bridge Sports Centre, Atherton.

The dementia café at Atherton Library is held on the third Friday of every month and provides a safe, comfortable and supportive environment for people with dementia and their families.

For more information visit dementiabuddy.co.uk or call 01942 888990.