Sherlock star Mark Gatiss joins South-east London young onset dementia group for afternoon tea

By Davina Hyde

A young onset dementia group enjoyed an afternoon tea at a five-star hotel last week with Sherlock actor Mark Gatiss.

The event was organised for members of Bromley, Lewisham & Greenwich Mind’s Young Onset Dementia Activist Group (YODA) to celebrate the end of their pilot project.

The Doctor Who writer became involved in the organisation through his cousin, Sue. 

He said in his speech it was a “great honour” to support Sue and the other YODA members, and also paid tribute to his father, Maurice, who died with dementia earlier this year. 

Mr Gatiss can currently be seen in the Oscar-winning dementia-based film drama “The Father”.

The YODA pilot scheme started from a chance sighting by Caroline Sipos, from City University, who glimpsed the MindCare Dementia Centre in Beckenham on her daily bus commute.

Ms Sipos, together with City University’s Dr Trudi Edginton, a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer, met with BLG Mind staff Saira Addison, Christine Gallagher and Charlotte Fletcher to discuss how the university could support a project for people with dementia.

The group decided what shape the pilot would take and the kind of activities they would like to do. 

They met weekly, supporting each other and sharing experiences together. 

Activities included Brazilian dancing, mindfulness and poetry and, for carers, a wellbeing training session. 

The group also contributed to a leaflet giving tips on living with young onset dementia being created by psychology students at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.

At the end of the project, the members came together to have afternoon tea at the prestigious Langham Hotel.

Charlotte Fletcher, Head of Development at BLG Mind, said: “The Langham laid out a stunning room for us. It was so beautifully done, it felt like we were at a wedding.

“There was such positive energy and feelgood factor in the room. Group members shared personal stories of their dementia journeys. They talked about how the group has changed their life; that they feel like they have a new family.”

Ms Addison said: “It’s a memory the head may forget but the heart will cherish. Although we are celebrating the end of the pilot, it is also the beginning of a new adventure: the YODA peer support group.” 

Black cab drivers waived fares to transport the group in a fleet of cabs to and from the event.

The Langham Hotel provided a beautiful complementary room and subsidised the afternoon tea.

Young onset dementia is defined as dementia diagnosed in people under the age of 65.

BLG Mind is a charity working alongside people in South East London with mental health problems and dementia to improve their quality of life.