Members of Twyford Village Art Group made a special visit to Wing-based care home, Carey Lodge, to present a cheque to residents and the team for £560 from the sale of a bespoke calendar specially created by the artists.

The group, led by local artist Chris Scott, was keen to donate the funds from the project to  Carey Lodge, run by local charity The Fremantle Trust, to recognise the specialist care it provides for people living with dementia.

The artists were welcomed by residents and employees with a celebratory afternoon tea as a way of saying thank you for the generous donation. Chris also brought a calendar along to show the collaborative work from artists, who interpreted each month’s theme in a range of media, from acrylic to pen and wash, gouache and watercolour.

The care home is also planning an exhibition of work from the village art group to celebrate its community links. It is hoped that the monies raised from the project will be a contribution towards investing in a Tovertafel, which uses light projections to create sensory benefits for people with dementia.

Commenting on the event, Clare Hedge, said:

We’re thrilled to have received this kind donation from Twyford Village Art Group and value the relationship we have developed with them. We run regular art therapy sessions and activities, so welcome the opportunity to work with talented local artists to support and enhance creative expression.

Residents at Carey Lodge living with dementia really benefit from art activities as they are calming experiences and are also helpful for reminiscence.

Diane Hodges from Twyford Village Art Group added:

We thoroughly enjoyed creating the calendar and are really pleased to see that funds raised from it are supporting specialist dementia care, given that this is a matter close to our hearts.