News
17/06/26: Dementia Collection: What's New?
We have added some new items to the Dementia Collection – why not take a look when you’re next at the Library?
There are several new titles in the ever-popular Pictures to Share collection, including Memories of Music and Memories of Working Life.
We’ve boosted the Autobiography section with newly-published memoirs by David Baddiel, Timothy West, and Paul Fletcher.
We’re also trying something new with two titles from the Equal Arts range, Bewick Tales and Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere Days. This is how they describe their approach:
Instead of reminiscence and looking back, all our work focuses on the Imagination Model, living in the moment and what people can achieve.
‘With dementia we lose our short-term memory, but you don’t lose your intelligence and that is a big thing people don’t realise, the desire to learn and stretch yourself doesn’t go away.’
Click here for more information on the whole collection.
The Library is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9.30am to 5pm.
16/06/26: Beginners' luck?!
Whether it was beginners' luck or natural talent, there was plenty of impressive play on show at our Try Bowls afternoon. Click here to see bowls mastery in progress!
Thank you to Church Stretton Bowls Club for their warm welcome, and particularly to Bernie Lindenau who organised the afternoon.
21/05/26: Many Hands Make Light Work at Forget-Me-Nots
In our May session of Forget-Me-Nots, we were busy planting the perimeter of the sensory garden: click here to see our happy band at work!
We’re really pleased to be playing our part in creating a lasting feature which will benefit others in the community - we look forward to seeing the garden flourish over the coming months.
20/05/26: Marking Dementia Action Week: our visit to David Austin Roses
Our annual Dementia Action Week outing was to the beautiful gardens at David Austin Roses - we had a wonderful time together, click here to see the evidence!
After a spot of elevenses (which included the most amazing scones) and a short introductory talk, we explored the various "rooms" of the immaculately-kept walled garden. Many of us were inspired, selecting a few additions to our own gardens...
Thank you to the David Austin team for looking after us during our visit, especially Charlie, Jo, Brett, and the Garden Room catering team.
18/05/26: Understanding Rivers at the May Memory Club
The Memory Club has been meeting every month in Carding Mill Valley for over two years now and in that time we’ve regularly seen school children busy working beside and in the stream. We’ve been wondering… what are they doing?
John and Ange from the NT Children and Young People team came along to answer our questions – we learned the way the children do, hands on!
Armed with striped poles, tape measure, metre rule, a quadrat, corks, and a stopwatch, we recorded the dimensions of the stream, how it flowed, and the way erosion was reshaping the stones on the stream bed. Click here to see us at work.
13/05/26 May’s Memory Café: celebrating creativity
We welcomed Lesley McKnight from Scrappies to May’s Café; she talked about their work and then led a craft project. Click on this link to see us transforming scrap into works of art, with really impressive results!
After the tea break, we talked about some of the crafts we’d tried, showed the items we’d created, and reflected on the memories they evoked. A real highlight was a stunning quilt, painstakingly hand-stitched by Gillian using dresses with deep personal meaning. The project spanned decades: she started it as a young bride and completed it to mark their Golden Wedding anniversary. The quilt and the story behind it made a huge impression on us all!
07/05/26 Going Underground!
For our first outing of 2026, we visited Snailbeach Mine as guests of Shropshire Mines Trust, then had a superb buffet lunch at The Stiperstones Inn - we had a fabulous day. Click here to see some pictures of our adventures!
Thank you to our guides for keeping us safe and for explaining so vividly what life was like for the hundreds of people who used to work on this site in the past. And a special thank you to Joe Penfold, Community Engagement Ranger at Shropshire Hills National Landscape, who inspired this trip and arranged a grant to help us with the cost of the minibus.
21/04/26 We won an award!
We are delighted to receive Church Stretton’s Community Group Award for 2026 – our town has many marvellous groups supporting the community so we’re really humbled by our nomination. Thank you also to all those who have been in touch to congratulate and encourage us – we appreciate your support. Click here to look at our certificate!
16/04/26 Sowing seeds at Forget-Me-Nots
The potting shed was a hive of activity during the first session of Forget-Me-Nots; there was plenty of chat and friendly rivalry as bean-planting techniques were compared and refined! In due course, many seedlings will be transferred to the vegetable garden, while some will be raising funds for Glyn’s Garden at their plant sale in Russell’s Meadow on Sunday 10 May.
Click here to find out more about Forget-Me-Nots.
23/03/26: Introducing Forget-Me-Nots
The first session of Forget-Me-Nots, the new monthly activity for people with dementia and their carers at Glyn’s Garden, is on Thursday 16 April. Click here to find out more.
Forget-Me-Nots is free of charge, thanks to the generosity of the Winkworth family whose donation is in memory of Robin. Judy tells us that Robin wasn’t that keen on gardening, but he always made sure to wear a shirt and tie to mow the lawn!
11/03/26: “There’s no such thing as a stupid question!”
This reassuring message was central to the talk at the March Café. Our visitor was Cath Jacob, the IT Coordinator at Mayfair, who came to tell us about their free digital support service, which offers help with email, backups, apps, forgotten passwords, and more. Click here for further information.
13/02/26: New constitution approved at AGM
A revised version of our constitution was approved unanimously; you can find a copy on our Governance page.
11/02/26: Springtime outing with Shropshire Hills National Landscape announced
Joe Penfold, Community Engagement Ranger with Shropshire Hills National Landscape (SHNL), visited the Café to inspire us with beautiful photography and engaging stories relating to the surrounding area – we are very lucky indeed!
Joe shared information on accessible viewpoints and paths – click here to find out more.
Before settling down with a cuppa and some cake, Joe announced the springtime outing – to Snailbeach Mine and the Stiperstones. We are very grateful for SHNL’s support with this trip – not only in giving us Joe’s expertise for the day, but also by helping with the cost of the minibus.
14/01/26: Trying Chair Yoga at the Memory Café
Jo Wildblood visited the Memory Café to run short Chair Yoga tasters – she will be offering weekly classes for people with dementia and their carers from March. Call her on 07903 517066 for further information.
After everyone was totally relaxed, we shared our much-loved Christmas annuals and reminisced about favourite comics and TV programmes.
17/12/25: Midcounties CoOp support new Chair Yoga classes
As part of the Doing Good Together scheme, Midcounties CoOp have funded a set of 12 chairs to enable local yoga teacher, Jo Wildblood, to set up weekly Chair Yoga classes especially for people with dementia and their carers.
Jo has close links to our group – her mother has Alzheimer’s and loves coming to our Memory Café. She has been motivated to establish these classes by her experience with her mother – she has seen first-hand how yoga relieves the tension and anxiety of dementia.
The new classes are scheduled to start in March. Watch this space for more details.
10/12/25: Music at the Christmas Café
We were delighted to welcome accomplished local fiddler, Brian Stone, to our Christmas Café – it really was a treat, with tunes new and familiar to sing, sway, and clap to. Brian generously opted to donate his fee to Mayfair Community Centre, so many of our members will benefit from that – thank you!
1/12/25: Christmas at Attingham
Our Christmas season got off to a sparkling start at Attingham Park – the decorations there were truly impressive. We’re very grateful to the National Trust for granting us a Community Access Pass – which gave us free admission – and for taking such care of us during our visit.
19/11/25: STWDAA funding for Top of the Mynd 2026
Thanks to the generous support of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Dementia Action Alliance we will be able to offer our 2026 Top of the Mynd trip for free!
Their grant will cover the cost of the minibus that will take members of the Memory Club up to Pole Cottage. Once we’re there, we’ll be hunting for dragonflies with the expert guidance of NT Learning Volunteer, Sue Rees-Evans. We’re hoping that the weather will be fine enough for a short stroll after we’ve had a spot of lunch at the Gliding Club.
12/11/25: Choosing our springtime outing with Shropshire Hills National Landscape
After the tea break at November’s Café, there was an important decision to make – members were polled on the springtime outing they’d prefer. Joe Penfold from Shropshire Hills National Landscape gave us four tempting options and will come to February’s Café to let us know which was selected. Watch this space to find out!
12/11/25: Cuan Wildlife Rescue visit the Memory Café
Deb from Cuan Wildlife Rescue visited the Café to talk about how they care for and rehabilitate sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals and birds. After her talk, we made some wild bird feeders to take home.