A donkey, Alnwick, Mum and me

20th March 2025

What an emotional afternoon speaking at The Alnwick Garden about Mum, me and dementia

I was invited by People Make Alnwick and Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery via the Community Fund - thanks to the fabulous Jacqui Wicks. This was a partnership with lovely folk from the excellently named Elderberries - a programme co-ordinated by Tracey Graham from The Alnwick Garden Trust.

I took my late Mum, Carolyn, to the gardens in the autumn of 2017, one of the last holidays she was able to manage as dementia took hold. I showed pictures of her enjoying the gardens, visiting the farm nearby where she and my Dad had many happy weeks in a holiday cottage and played extracts from "Mum and Me: The Dementia Diary", including her reading about Ripple the Donkey who used to live at The Donkey Sanctuary in Eccup near Leeds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0845fr2

It was a pleasure to talk to people about their own dementia 'journeys' and, I hope, offer a little help and encouragement. I also met Julie and Kate McLellan from Bluebird Care North Tyneside and North Northumberland who described the afternoon as "inspiring, emotional and profound".

I'm passionate about spreading the dementia 'word' from the experience of an ordinary son trying to do the best for his Mum, learning as he went along - my lived experience.

Do get in touch if you think I might be able to help in any way, whether it’s giving a talk about dementia, sharing my experiences, hosting a live event, media and journalism training, recording a voiceover or something else entirely: https://www.theandrewedwards.com/contact