History

A milestone was reached in the development of the Holt & District Dementia Support when it achieved recognition by the Charity Commission in September 2018 and was re-launched as a registered charity on 1st February 2019.  The Rt. Hon. Sir Norman Lamb, MP kindly agreed to become the Patron of the charity and to support the work that the charity undertakes.

Holt & District Dementia Support was formed to provide a weekly drop-in café offering information and social support to those living with dementia and their carers, and as a means of increasing public awareness of dementia in the area. The organisation and its café, known as ‘The Poppy Café‘ were launched on 8th April 2014.

In response to the views and concerns of those attending the Poppy Café, a successful  Home Visiting Service was established in February 2015, offering respite to carers who look after people with dementia in their own homes. It was officially launched on 17th April 2015. Grants were awarded by Norfolk County Council Adult Social Workforce, the Norfolk Community Foundation (Birketts Fund) and Norfolk Carers Support, which together with generous donations to the H&DDS, provided funds for training, insurance and the basic set up.

Poppy Café has developed over the years to provide its clients with:

  • A monthly Singing Café
  • Visits from PAT dog, Tillie, with her owner
  • Poppy Friends,  a carer support group, aimed at giving Carers an opportunity to chat more freely and support each other, whilst clients enjoy Poppy Café with the volunteers
  • An additional Poppy Café held on Thursday afternoons, but moved in 2024 to Fridays mornings, offering monthly Gentle Exercise routines (January 2022)
  • Poppy Lunches (December 2022)

Ventures offered pre-COVID included occasional vintage films at Holt Community Centre and monthly ‘Keeping Active’ sessions at Holt Sports Centre.

Early milestones:

Information on current services offered may be found in the Holt and District Dementia Support Brochure  and on our Poppy Poster August 2024, both of which can be downloaded as PDFs.