Celebrating Memories Baton Walk for World Alzheimer’s Month 2024

Exeter Dementia Action Alliance has marked World Alzheimer’s Month by holding a second Baton Memory Walk, visiting people living with dementia in care homes in the city.

The walk on Sunday 8th September coincided with the second anniversary of the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The two-hour walk concluded on Cathedral Green with a minute’s silence to remember both the Queen, and all those who live and lived with dementia.

The metal and wood baton was created in 2022 by Chris Brown and is engraved ‘Celebrating Memories’. Inside is a digital memory stick with more than 60 memories sent in by Alliance supporters whose lives have all been touched by family and friends living with dementia.

The baton was first carried around the city in October that year, on a 19-mile relay involving more than 30 people aged from three to 103.

In this year’s event a smaller group visited two care homes in Old Tiverton Road, The Lilacs, run by Stonehaven Care Group and The Old Rectory, run by Southern Healthcare. Both organisations have supported the Alliance by sponsoring one of its Exeter Cosy Routes, mapped walks of between four and seven miles, which surround the city.

Gina Awad, lead of the Alliance, said: “It felt meaningful to directly engage with the residents in their homes and see their faces light up. They were interested in holding the baton itself and the inscription ‘Celebrating Memories’ seemed to resonate with them in talking about memories.”

The Cosy Route project was created by Alliance board member and dementia carer Jo Earlam, who said: “It was a pleasure to visit the residents of The Lilacs and The Old Rectory in World Alzheimer’s Month. My late father Bernard had vascular dementia, and I am now a carer for my husband John, who has dementia. The Cosy Routes project and gathering memories in this unique way through the baton is my way of helping to raise awareness of this cruel disease.”

The 26.2-miles full COSY route, an acronym which stands for Circle of Somewhere Yours, this year has a new overall sponsor, the resource recovery business DCW Polymers.

Owner Simon Almond said: “My main reason for wanting to help Gina and the Alliance is her inspiring drive to make a difference for people with dementia. My grandmother developed vascular dementia after a fall in her mid-90s. Changes were sudden, taking a completely independent woman to almost total dependency at the end stages. I am delighted to do my bit to raise awareness and support communication between people affected by dementia and others.”

Gina said: “From all of us at the Alliance we thank our sponsors, those from businesses and those sponsoring routes in memory of a loved one, for their wholehearted support of Exeter Cosy Routes. A community collaborative initiative is exactly what we want to achieve, bringing people together and providing something inclusive and special.”

The other route sponsors are Haines Watts, Wilkinson Grant & Co, Rodney Spiller Wealth Management Ltd, the Baker family and Virginia Clement In Memory of David Brian Clement. Route five, which begins in Pinhoe, and crosses Redhayes Bridge, is currently available for sponsorship.