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A recently-founded Southampton charity which supports people living with dementia, poor mental health or in social isolation across Hampshire and Dorset has claimed success in a national community competition.
The Memory Box Foundation, which was established in 2021 and supports more than 6,000 people a year, has been named as a monthly prize winner in the Community Heroes scheme organised by leading builders merchant Selco Builders Warehouse.
The charity is one of just 12 monthly winners from almost 2,000 entries and has scooped £500 worth of building materials from Selco. It will also be involved in a public vote later in the year for the chance to provide a £5,000 cash boost to the charity.
The Memory Box Foundation’s main project is a reminiscence loan box service where themed items, documents and photographs from years gone by are taken into care homes across the region with the aim of engaging residents suffering with dementia and isolation in multi-sensory activity.
The charity will use its building materials prize from Selco to extend its Inside Out Sensory Garden project which sees young people aged from 11 to 25 working with care homes to build items such as hedgehog homes, bird boxes and flower beds.
Kayte West, co-founder of the Memory Box Foundation, said: “The people we work with get so much positivity from the resources we have, whether it be objects, documents, photographs or anything else we receive from the general public or through the strong relationship we have with Hampshire Museums.
“Our resources have the ability to improve people’s wellbeing and there is lots of laughter, spontaneous singing and people getting together to enjoy themselves.
“We are thrilled to have won the £500 donation from Selco which will go towards our garden
project. It creates a really strong bond between young people and the older generation and that link is so important.
“Youngsters can be quite scared of speaking to older people and the word dementia also creates fear so we teach them how to communicate and about dementia awareness and it gives them a much more relaxed attitude.
“The Selco Community Heroes initiative is fantastic and we are proud to be one of the winners along with a number of other brilliant charities and community groups across the UK.”
Over the course of the last six months, Selco has awarded 12 groups materials through its ever-popular Community Heroes scheme.
