Timms Solicitors Expands Dementia Friends Support
Timms Solicitors is hoping to develop Derby Cathedral Quarter into a dementia friendly community by raising awareness of the condition amongst its fellow businesses.
Timms, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, is based in St Michael’s, Queen Street; Burton on Trent, Ashby de la Zouch and in Swadlincote where it has already piloted the Dementia Friends programme.
The firm, which offers a wide range of family and commercial legal services, has been working in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society, South Derbyshire District Council and the local CVS. It was recently awarded with the ‘supporting the local community’ award by the Swadlincote Town Team.
Timms Solicitors has four trained Dementia Champions led by Wills and Probate partner Darren Perry under the Alzheimer’s Society national programme.
They give their time voluntarily to hold 45-minute workshops to raise awareness of the challenges facing those living with dementia and promote simple steps that can be taken to better communicate with clients and customers.
Darren Perry explained: “Having worked very successfully with our neighbours in Swadlincote, we wanted to expand this programme and raise awareness of dementia amongst our fellow businesses in the Cathedral Quarter.
“Our aim is to organise a series of free workshops with fellow customer-facing businesses from cultural venues and restaurants to shops and professional firms and, in the future to apply for the area to recognised by the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friendly Communities initiative.
“This would be a worthy accolade for this area – building on the credentials of being National BID of the Year and the best city centre location in the Great British High Street Awards.
“As a high street business ourselves, we are keen to work with our neighbours here in the Cathedral Quarter to share information increase understanding of the issues facing people living with dementia and discuss ways that we can all work to better accommodate and communicate with our clients and customers.
“Dementia touches the lives of millions of people across the UK and this national initiative was launched by the Alzheimer’s Society to tackle the stigma and lack of understanding that means many people with the condition experience loneliness and social exclusion.
“We need to create more communities and businesses that are dementia friendly so that people affected by dementia feel understood and included.”
The Cathedral Quarter’s Rangers and members of the Business Improvement District (BID) project team run by Partnerships for Better Business (pfbbuk) in Iron Gate have already attended an information session.
Martin Langsdale, chair of the Cathedral Quarter Board and Management Group, which drive forward initiatives under the area’s BID status, concluded: “The BID provides an excellent platform for businesses to share their expertise and we are delighted that Timms have expanded this programme into the Cathedral Quarter.
“It is important that businesses work together for the greater good of our community of people who live, work and visit the Cathedral Quarter and to build on our already excellent credentials as a destination of choice which is friendly, inclusive and welcoming.”
For more information please contact Timms Solicitors, Tel: 0800 011 6666 or email legal@timms-law.com and for more information about the Dementia Friends initiative please visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk