Michelle creates multitude of Dementia Friends
02 Dec 2015
Now our Champion takes her commitment to the cause to an even higher level
One of our Dementia Friends Champions has taken her commitment to the cause to another level, having been selected for the social action movement’s North Regional Champion Forum.
Dementia Friends is Dementia Friends is a Government funded national initiative that is run by the Alzheimer’s Society. It aims to improve people's understanding of Dementia and its effects. It aims to reach four million by 2020 across the country.
Now Michelle Kipling, projects manager supporting the director of social responsibility at the Alliance Manchester Business School, will help manage and improve its vital work as part of this region’s forum.
She has already created an amazing 364 Dementia Friends at 20 sessions since becoming a Champion in October 2014.
These include a session at Bolton Wanderers Football Club, as a result of contacting Eddie Davies, the Chair of Alliance MBS Advisory Board and owner of Bolton Wanderers. This connection has also seen her become part of a group to see Horwich become a Dementia Friendly Town, launching in February 2016.
She held a session at the Bolton News after reading an article that referred to people with dementia as “dementia sufferers”.
And she will create another 100 Friends at Whalley Range Sixth Form College next week and from the new year will spend her evenings running child-specific sessions for Chorley District Scout Association to their Beavers, Cubs and Scouts with the potential of a further 1,000 Friends to create.
Michelle says: “I found the messages very powerful as they burst the myths and my personal misconceptions around the disease. What I learnt in that hour was so informative and potentially life changing for those living with dementia, I decided I wanted to become a Champion.”
She adds: “The initiative is not about creating experts, it is about helping people understand a little bit more about what it’s like to live with the condition and then turn that understanding into action – no matter how small. For example, the power of smile rather than an inpatient “tut” can change someone’s day.
“Spend just 60 minutes to attend a session and find out more.”
To attend a University Dementia Friends session, visit:
For further information about the movement, visit: