What is an Admiral Nurse?

Admiral Nurses are specialist nurses who provide the specialist dementia support that families need.  When things get challenging or difficult, Admiral Nurses work alongside people with dementia, their families and carers: giving the one-to-one support, expert guidance and practical solutions people need, and that can be difficult to find elsewhere.

Admiral Nurses are continually trained, developed and supported by the charity, Dementia UK.  Families that have their support have someone truly expert and caring by their side – helping them to live more positively with dementia in the present, and to face the challenges of tomorrow with more confidence and less fear.

Sid Valley Memory Cafe has fundraised for an Admiral Nurse for the Sid Valley community since 2014.

How did we come to have an Admiral Nurse in the Sid Valley?

In 2014 the Sid Valley Memory Café, faced with declining local support services for families living with dementia, decided to try to do something to help them. After much discussion, it was decided that an Admiral Nurse would provide much needed support to these families.

After speaking with Dementia UK who manage Admiral Nurses here in the UK, we launched a campaign with the support of the Sidmouth Herald to raise £100,000 to cover the costs of an Admiral Nurse for the first two years. Following amazing support from the local community and our Town Council, and grants from several organisations, we reached our target in mid 2016, and our Sid Valley Admiral Nurse started in post in the Spring of 2017.

Since then we have continued our fundraising efforts. And have also been successful in gaining the support of the Big Lottery, but this is an on-going challenge. We need to raise £50,000+ every year to cover the cost of our nurse.

How can you access the Admiral Nurse?

As a specialist nurse, the focus of the Admiral Nurse role is on supporting families with complex needs – particularly where family carers require guidance through transitions, loss and changing relationships and where carers are struggling to cope in their caring role.

The Admiral Nurse works holistically, addressing both the physical and mental health needs of the carer and the person with dementia.  In order to access this service, a referral will need to be made by your Sid Valley GP.

For those whose needs are less complex, the Alzheimer’s Society’s Devon Dementia Support Service can provide information and advice.  This service can be accessed by calling 0300 123 2029 (Monday to Friday, 9-5pm).

How can you help make sure that we keep our Admiral Nurse in the Sid Valley?

We need to continue raising £50,000+ every year to make sure that we retain an Admiral Nurse here in the Sid Valley supporting families living with dementia.

We are always looking for people to join our fundraising team, either as a committee member or as a volunteer to help at fund raising events. Should you be interested in joining our team please contact David Hodge CBE Chairman (davidhodgerotary@btinternet.com) or Angela Thompson (amthompson55@hotmail.com). We would love to hear from you.

Fundraising for our Admiral Nurse

Past Fundraising Events

Over recent years there have been many wide and interesting and fund raising events including:

  • Cream Teas at Kennaway House, Talks by Jonathan Walker and more recently Mary King on her adventures sailing across the Great Southern Ocean.
  • Concert performed by the East Devon Rock Choir, 3 different Quiz nights, 2 Coffee and Cake Mornings, and many street collections.
  • You will also have seen us collecting at the Radway Cinema earlier in 2022 when the latest Downton Abbey film was released.
  • We have also had collections at the Devon County Cricket matches in the summer when playing at Sidmouth, and Sidmouth Classic Car Show.

Future Fundraising Events

The 2023 events are on the 2023 Events Plan Page.

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As for all our events, we need volunteers to help run them and if you have time on your hands and would like to join the Sid Valley Memory Fundraising Team Committee we would love to hear from you.