Trinity Lunch Club (TLC) recently celebrated 10 years of providing good food and enjoyable company to people with dementia and their carers.

The lunches are held in the Trinity Rooms of Holy Trinity Church in Barrow on the last Thursday of each month, except in August and December.

The club was started by Pam Brown, who had been chair of the fund-raising committee for extensions to the church. Pam saw the need for a venue for people with dementia and their carers to meet and after discussions with Karen Frostick, director of John Storer House, the lunch club was established. A team of willing volunteers was assembled and training in food safety and hygiene was given by John Storer House.

Since then, the lunch club has gone from strength to strength.

“We ensure the room looks attractive with tablecloths, napkins and flowers and can provide bowls and spoons if that helps some members,” says Pam. “Our helpers have grown to six and we’re a team that works well together. The helpers sit down to lunch with the members.”

Pam says she initially thought it would be the dementia sufferers who would get the most out of the group but she soon learned that it is the carers who enjoy sharing information - be it the best way to get someone in and out of a car, problems with locks on doors, discussions about sleep patterns and more. Members of TLC have also been active in fundraising for an Admiral nurse (a specialist dementia nurse) in Charnwood.

TLC welcomes new members. The cost of the lunch is £7.50 for a two-course meal, followed by coffee or tea. Contact Pam Brown for information on 07809 776425 or email p.m.brown@icloud.com

Lindsay Ord