ON Monday, May 15, a dance was held in Whitehaven for elderly people to come along, enjoy music and a bite to eat whilst also finding out more about the support available for those suffering from dementia. 

The event was at Whitehaven Rugby Union Club and proved to be very popular with lots of people in attendance. 

Lorraine Wright, loneliness and dementia-friendly communities coordinator said: "We're promoting dementia week throughout west Cumbria, we're here today then will be heading to Millom, Wigton, Cockermouth, and then on Friday we're at The Carnegie doing another tea dance. 

"The week is about raising awareness of the illness but also there are people in here that don't have dementia but they want to be made aware of it in case any of their family members get it. 

"So we've got other agencies in here that people can talk to. We've got Cumbria Police, people from the Memory Team, Cosy Homes, The Alzheimers Society, and quite a few different organisations. 

"This is the Dementia Tea Dance and we will be doing the same thing at The Carnegie on Friday, May 19. 

"I'm hoping that it is a success, but it is quite busy so it seems to be going well. 

"The event is supported by the Dementia Action Alliance so it is all for supporting those with dementia, I work for Age UK but we've just organised it."

Cheryl Mahood, project officer for Cosy Homes, said: "I'm here to offer energy-saving advice and equipment. 

"There's been a bit of interest, we're hoping that more people will head along and I can tell them about the service we offer and can refer them to Cosy Homes if they can benefit from us."