Dementia Friendly Ayr is hoping to follow the success of its compatriots in Prestwick and Troon.

The Ayr group has only been properly running for just over a month, compared with Prestwick’s five years and Troon’s year and a half.

Project worker Jim Baird believes that it is possible for Ayr’s version to be as successful as the others.

He said: “Dementia Friendly Ayr is hoping to be as successful as Troon and Prestwick.

“By that, I mean we get as many businesses, community groups and council workers to sit through our awareness groups and understand the condition.

“We need businesses to be aware of the condition and to be better able to communicate with those with dementia in the community. We do that by creating logos and window badges, which is an extension of work that Alzheimer Scotland are doing.

“There’s a lot of work that is needed to achieve that, but I think it’s extremely possible.”

It is believed that 80 per cent of local businesses have to be trained in dementia awareness before a community can be recognised as dementia friendly.

Jim told the Advertiser Series this week: “The training is the foundation upon which any community can say they are dementia friendly.

“The big thing is to get as many different sessions run and as many different people aware of some of the intricacies around dementia.

“The bigger the town, the more difficult it gets. The more resources you have to put in to it.”

The group is hoping to engage with the four secondary schools

in Ayr to produce a COVID-friendly partnership with local writers.

The project would involve the school pupils picking up the phone the phone either their grandparents, or an elderly resident of a local care home.