A support group has set a goal of creating 5,000 dementia friends in Fenland by Christmas.

Fenland Dementia Action Alliance is encouraging both people and local organisations to get involved.

A spokesman said: “It is estimated that in Fenland there are nearly 2,000 people with dementia, and the Fenland Dementia Action Alliance (FDAA) is taking practical actions to raise awareness of dementia in the local community.”

Chris Mackett, Chair of the FDAA, said “Dementia affects us all – we may be caring for someone with dementia, we may come across people with dementia in the course of our everyday lives or we may develop dementia ourselves. I recently became a Dementia Friend, and it’s helped me think about what I can do.”

A dementia friend is someone who decides to take one action to become more dementia friendly in their everyday life, and who understands five key messages about dementia which is that dementia is not a natural part of ageing, it is caused by diseases of the brain, dementia is not just about losing your memory, it is possible to live well with dementia, there is more to the person than the dementia.

The FDAA was launched in May 2016 and already includes in its membership Cambridgeshire Police, Care Network, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire and Rescue Service and Fenland District Council.

• If your organisation - whether it is a parish council, a community group, a shop or an office - would like to join the Fenland DAA, or you would like to host a dementia friends session for your workplace, please contact Hilary Shepherd on hilary.shepherd@alzheimers.org.uk.