Langmead family joins campaign for better dementia services

Robert Langmead, founder of Nature’s Way Foods and Kingsbridge Estates, his wife Lucinda, and their family, have joined the fight against dementia and put their support behind providing better dementia services in West Sussex. They are supporting new, local charity: Dementia Support, which will provide complete dementia services under one roof in the Dementia Support Hub.

Lucinda Langmead, co-founded the charity after her father developed dementia and she experienced the frustrations and limited dementia care available. She keenly advocates the need for the Dementia Support Hub – a centre which will have dementia services under one roof.
“My own personal experience has highlighted how dementia care can be improved. The biggest need in my opinion is to develop a system of support that relieves people’s vulnerability, and allows those living with dementia a fuller a life as possible by providing easy access to services under one roof.”

Lucinda is a Dementia Support Trustee, and together with the rest of the board of trustees and employees, they are busy working to officially open the Support Hub in Spring 2018. It will be open to people in the catchment areas of Emsworth across to Arundel, and Bognor, Selsey and Chichester up to Midhurst and Petworth. The Hub will be unique, offering full dementia services under one roof, such as: Memory Assessment, Befriending, Day Care, Advice & Information, Community Café & Garden, Young Onset Dementia Services and Social Activities.

Robert Langmead is a keen supporter of the charity, and together with his and Lucinda’s daughter Chloe, aged 12, they both took on the challenge to ride in tandem in the Cape Argus 109km Cycle Race in South Africa. Robert has been a regular participant in the Cape Argus Race, and this year he encouraged his daughter to join him in the challenge.

The race took place on 12th March, and father and daughter trained hard for several months on their specially built tandem bike to achieve their goal of completing the 109km course in less than 5 hours under the hot African sun. This incredible challenge for Dementia Support has raised £13,467.50 in sponsorship. Unfortunately, due to freak 100km per hour winds the race was cancelled, with 35,000 people turned away by the organisers. Disappointed but undeterred, Robert and Chloe plan to take up the challenge next year, and they have also completed the 109km distance together since returning to the UK.

Chloe, who attends Westbourne House School in Chichester, has been a keen fundraiser for Dementia Support in the past. In memory of her grandfather she dyed her hair pink and swam 2,000 metres in one go, raising £600. Her school, Westbourne House, have also nominated Dementia Support as one of their charities and will fundraise for them over the next two years.

Support for the charity has also come from other members of the Langmead family. Mrs Joan Langmead, aunt to Robert Langmead has made a compassionate and personally driven donation to Dementia Support.

Mrs Langmead made the decision after attending her first cousin’s funeral just before Christmas. Her cousin, David Gilbard, from Westergate, died just months after his wife Sybil passed away in August 2016. Losing two members of her family prompted Mrs Langmead to make the charitable donation in their memory, but also in memory of her own husband, Ronald.

Ronald lived with dementia for 10 years and had spent the final four months of his life in a care home. Joan has recognised the need for improved dementia services in the West Sussex area after caring for her husband. She experienced the frustrations faced by so many carers of finding adequate support, and spoke of the struggle she had over 10 years. Joan felt she had only found full support when she joined a group at the Newell Centre, Chichester in 2012. She was able to share her story with the other carers, who supported each other with their experiences. The group was also able to find legal and financial advice when local businesses came to talk to the group.

Joan is delighted that dementia is now a more discussed topic and that the Dementia Support Hub will provide the much needed care and support that is required in West Sussex:

“The Dementia Support Hub will help carers, it will help them cope and improve their wellbeing as well as the welfare of the people with dementia. I was fortunate that I found a very good care home for Ronald during his final months, with excellent staff and facilities; however not everyone experiences good care and support. This can add to the distress of the loved one developing dementia. The Support Hub in Tangmere will be an excellent facility, with everything under one roof.”

If you would like to know more about Dementia Support, or if you would like to support the charity in their fundraising, please contact them on 01243 888691 or email: info@dementia-support.org.uk
Online donations can be made via the charity’s BTMyDonate page: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/dementiasupport