A RIBBLE Valley borough council campaign to establish one of the UK’s first dementia-friendly boroughs has received a pat on the back from the government.

The campaign aims to establish the borough as a centre of excellence in dementia awareness and has been cited in the Government’s Accessible Britain Challenge Awards 2015.

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The council joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Society and several businesses, community groups and public and private sector organisations for the campaign.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: “The aim of the awards is to motivate communities to do more to be inclusive and accessible to disabled people, and showcase great examples that others can learn from.

“Nominations for the awards were made by disabled people or disabled people’s organisations that had benefited from local projects, initiatives, services or activities.”

The awards encourage communities to remove the barriers that prevent disabled people from participating fully in community life.

Over 500 people attended a series of dementia awareness seminars and a network of ‘dementia friends’ and dementia-friendly places was established. Staff at the council also received training in dementia awareness, including how to deal with sufferers and signpost their families to help and support.

Peter Anwyl, of Ribble Valley Crossroads Care, who nominated the council, said: “As a long-term carer for my wife who had Alzheimer’s disease and in my capacity as a trustee of Ribble Valley Crossroads Care, I know only too well how challenging and distressing living with and caring for someone with dementia can be.

“Ribble Valley Borough Council has made significant progress towards establishing a caring and understanding community to help ease the lives of people with dementia.

“It is vital that the community does as much as it can to drive this initiative forward, and show respect and care to those with dementia wherever possible.”

The council received a certificate and letter of commendation from the Accessible Britain Challenge Awards.