A CAMPAIGN to make Cumnock Dementia friendly has been launched by Alzheimer Scotland.

Pupils from Greenmill and Barshare primaries joined the charity’s musical reminiscence group at St John’s Church to get things underway.

A Cumnock board game and relaxed supermarket shopping are among the plans already in motion.

Jim Baird, Alzheimer Scotland’s locality manager for East Ayrshire said: “Today was a great launch pad for Dementia Friendly Cumnock, both in terms of the individuals that turned up to support the venture and the energy provided by the audience in St John’s, with a special mention to the fantastic children of Greenmill and Barshare Primaries.

“The importance of intergenerational work to the success of the project cannot be understated and we plan to involve all local schools in the training and awareness sessions.

“Like other dementia friendly communities, the focus of the committee will be on training local businesses, community groups and employers in how to be more empathetic and understanding of the condition and to ensure that they have some very practical guidance about what to do when faced with certain situations.

“A reminiscence board game for the town, dementia friendly walks, some relaxed shopping in supermarkets and an environmental audit assessment tool are just some of the projects in the pipeline.

“We’re excited about being a part of the local solution to allow people with dementia to live well in Cumnock.”