Killead Ploughing Society raises £1,000 Dementia NI

The money was raised at its 106th match, held on land kindly granted by the Bingham family at Hillcrest Road, Muckamore, Antrim.

Society chairman William Johnston said: “Despite the ground conditions, last autumn’s ploughing match was a great success. I would like to take this opportunity thank our sponsors, the ploughmen and everyone who contributed to the success of our 106th match. It gives us great pleasure to present a cheque for £1,000 to our nominated charity, Dementia NI.”

Jacqui McCurdy thanked the society for its generosity and said: “Dementia NI is a local charity dedicated to empowering people with dementia.

“There are around 20,000 people with dementia in Northern Ireland and this number is projected to rise to 60,000 in 2050. At Dementia NI, we believe passionately that life doesn’t end after a dementia diagnosis and you can live very well for many years with dementia.”

The charity was founded in 2015 by five people in NI with dementia. Its founding members shared core beliefs that people with dementia should be involved in decisions that affect their own lives.

They wanted to raise awareness of what dementia is and challenge the stigma they face on a daily basis.

Since then, Dementia NI has grown into a leading charity in Northern Ireland with more than 100 members, all of whom are living well with dementia.

Jacqui McCurdy added: “Our Empowerment Groups provide valuable peer-to-peer support for people with dementia. We also lobby for changes to current policy and services around dementia on a national level.

“In addition, our members and staff deliver education and training sessions to organisations, which help raise awareness and create a greater understanding of dementia across Northern Ireland. “

n Further details about Dementia NI are available on its website: www.dementiani.org. The charity can be contacted on tel: 028 9693 1555.