AWARD-winning home care provider Right at Home is celebrating its recruitment of more than 1,000 Dementia Friends.

Farnham-based Right at Home GF’s managing director, Alastair Shanks, first trained to be a Dementia Friends Champion in March 2013 and has since delivered 89 training sessions.

Dementia Friends is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative, where champions volunteer to encourage others to make a positive difference to people living with dementia in their community by giving them information about the personal impact of dementia and what they can do to help.

Alastair’s most recent training session took place at Spire Church, Farnham, on February 28, and was attended by volunteers from the church and charity Farnham Assist. The session brought Alastair’s total number of Dementia Friends to 1,023.

Alastair has trained groups including schools, Farnham Town Council, Citizens Advice Bureau, a GP surgery, a local hospital, Farnham Maltings, as well as every new business owner who joins the Right at Home franchise.

Alastair said: “As a care provider which supports clients living with dementia, we know how important it is to provide others with a better understanding of what living with dementia is like.

“It’s been fantastic to see so many people attending these sessions and I’m determined to continue playing my part in helping create a dementia friendly community by providing these training sessions regularly.”

Sessions are free to attend and last around an hour. Find out when the next session is taking place by calling 01252 783426.