Press Releases

The Dementia Voice in Heritage Group will steer and shape Amgueddfa Cymru and Alzheimer’s Society Cymru’s partnership project - Museums Inspiring Memories.

Museums Inspiring Memories, a three-year partnership project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, is focused on developing and delivering practical ways to engage with and improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia, through access to museum resources and sites. 

Together with the Museums Inspiring Memories team, the Dementia Voice in Heritage Group (DViHG) will develop three main pieces of work.  

These will be a training package to upskill heritage sector staff members and volunteers in supporting visitors affected by dementia; a supportive package for carers, families and loved ones of those living with dementia to help build confidence in using museum spaces and resources with those that they care for, plus a sustainable programme of activities at all Amgueddfa Cymru museums and within communities. 

A DViHG member said: 

“It is a privilege to be part of the Dementia Voice in Heritage group as heritage places and history offer a great opportunity for the dementia voice and community to be heard, as well as giving people like me a sense of timeless belonging”

It is hoped these activities will provide opportunities for people affected by dementia to remain connected to our national collections and the stories that they tell and also to provide communities with lifelong learning opportunities to share and explore their own memories.

Nia Williams, Director of Experience, Learning and Engagement said:

“Over the years, Amgueddfa Cymru has been developing resources such as Objects of Comfort, and activities like our Dementia Friendly Underground Tours at Big Pit, together with and for those affected by dementia. Through the Dementia Voice in Heritage Group, we now have an exciting opportunity to build on what we already deliver, bringing the dementia voice into the heart of what we do at all seven of our museums.”

Richard Maiorano, Communities and Volunteering Lead at Alzheimer’s Society Cymru said: 

“For many people, museums and heritage sites are incredibly important and a constant feature throughout our lifetime. The Dementia Voice in Heritage Group will help to ensure people affected by dementia are able to remain connected to museum stories and collections. We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru, supporting the development and delivery of these packages, enabling people affected by dementia to share their experiences and widening access to the various museum sites and resources across Wales.”

For more information on the project and opportunities to get involved, visit: Museums Inspiring Memories – Working for Dementia | Museum Wales. 

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Further information

Sharon Ford
Health & Wellbeing Programme Manager for Amgueddfa Cymru 
sharon.ford@museumwales.ac.uk 
02920 573681

Gareth Rees

Dementia Voice Lead for Amgueddfa Cymru

gareth.rees@museumwales.ac.uk

02920 573 418

Notes to editor

Amgueddfa Cymru

Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales is a charity and a family of seven national museums and one collections centre located across Wales. Our sites are vital community spaces that reach far beyond their location on a map. Our aim is to inspire everyone we reach through Wales’s story and we recognise that everyone has something to contribute through our museum collections and the work we do. Funded by the Welsh Government, entrance is free to all of our sites.

We have over 600 members of staff and welcome around 1.8 million visitors a year. Beyond our physical sites, we also have over 5 million objects in our collections, embracing arts and design, history and archaeology and natural sciences. 

Our museums are the National Slate Museum, National Wool Museum, National Waterfront Museum, National Collections Centre, St Fagans National Museum of History, National Museum Cardiff, National Roman Legion Museum and Big Pit National Coal Museum. 

https://museum.wales/

Museums Inspiring Memories

Museums Inspiring Memories is a three-year project led by Amgueddfa Cymru in partnership with Alzheimer’s Society Cymru and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Starting in April 2022 and building on our existing programme of dementia-friendly museum activities, the project aims to work with people living with dementia, unpaid carers, care sector staff, heritage sector colleagues, and communities and organisations across Wales, to develop and deliver practical ways to engage with and improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia, through access to museum resources and sites.

Museums Inspiring Memories