Gatwick Airport supports The Forget Me Nots dementia charity in Crawley

The Forget Me Nots in Crawley, which supports carers of those living with dementia, has been given a £5,000 boost by the Gatwick Foundation Fund in Sussex.

The money will support the charity after it moved to a larger venue to enable more members to attend and accommodate the growing demand for the welcoming space it provides.

The Forget Me Nots gives carers a safe space where they can meet others going through a similar experience.

The Forget Me Nots trustee Alison Burke said: “The money awarded to us by the Gatwick Foundation Fund will enable us to continue to pay for dedicated staff, which is vital to support carers whose loved ones have dementia.

“The Forget Me Nots provides a safe place for our members to express their fears, anger, anxiety, frustration and love within their own unique situations.

“There is no judgement, and it means they can share the challenges of looking after someone with dementia.

“The funding will also allow us to continue with our programme of events such as days out, afternoon teas and educational community events.

“Without Gatwick Foundation Fund, our journey would be so much harder and we’re very grateful for the extra support.”

The Forget Me Nots was founded in 2013 to ensure that no carer, loved one, friend or family member of someone living with dementia in Crawley and the surrounding area would ever feel alone.

The group meets twice a week. The Forget Me Nots meets on Fridays from 10.30am to 2pm at Tilgate Community Centre for its lunch club, where members can come along with or without the person they care for, enjoy an uninterrupted few hours to sit down, enjoy a cooked meal, join in with a quiz, watch entertainment and meet up with friends.

On Tuesday evenings from 5pm to 7.30pm The Forget Me Nots meets at the Crawley Rugby Club, Willoughby Fields, where carers are encouraged to come along on their own to enable them to talk freely, but they are of course welcome to bring their loved one along as well.

Visitors are welcome to pop in for a cup of tea at either session but if they would like to join for a meal they should get in touch with The Forget Me Nots a few days in advance.

The Forget Me Nots in Crawley was one of five good causes in Sussex to benefit from a financial boost, as London Gatwick announced the recipients of £33,000 from round one of the Gatwick Foundation Fund.

Melanie Wrightson, stakeholder engagement manager at London Gatwick, said: “We know that the funding we have provided for local grassroots community and voluntary projects like The Forget Me Nots will make a real difference to people’s lives as they continue to work tirelessly during the current cost of living crisis.

“It gives us so much joy at London Gatwick to support our local community as we continue to build on the benefits that the airport delivers to its neighbours.

“We look forward to hearing how this funding will help people in need and invite other community groups to apply for future funding rounds from the Gatwick Foundation Fund so they can benefit from the airport’s success too.”

Each year there are three rounds of grants, totalling £100,000, which are made available to beneficiaries in Sussex, across the area of benefit which covers Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Wealden.

The Gatwick Foundation Fund was set up in 2016 to award funding to local groups that work to fight social isolation and tackle disadvantage, raise aspirations and develop skills, improve health and wellbeing, and support children and young people.

The Gatwick Foundation Fund is managed on behalf of London Gatwick in Sussex by the Sussex Community Foundation.Applications are open now and the deadline to apply for the next round of funding is 8 September.

To apply for funding from the Gatwick Foundation Fund in Sussex, please go to: sussexgiving.org.uk/

For more information about Forget Me Nots please go to: forgetmenotclub.org/