Artspace, CInderford’s long running mindSCAPE project, which runs creative arts sessions for people with dementia and their carers, has been given a long-term boost from the National Lottery Community Fund. The project has been successfully awarded £150,000 over the next five years, fully supporting the project alongside current funding from the Forest of Dean District Council.

The project is now supported until September 2029, allowing Artspace to continue to help people with their dementia and their carers in the Forest for many years to come. As an active member of the Forest of Dean Dementia Action Alliance, Artspace is committed to supporting people with dementia locally, and making the Forest a more dementia friendly place to live.

Running for over a decade, and currently based in the Westdean Centre in Bream, mindSCAPE’s free creative sessions bring professional artists and older people with dementia and other memory challenges together to develop their artistic skills, enjoy being creative and produce artworks in a wide range of disciplines.

Jim Bell, Development Director at Artspace Cinderford said, “mindSCAPE is a well established, supportive community that is a vital link for many older people in the Forest. Over the years hundreds of people have benefitted from being part of mindsCAPE, and we are delighted its importance has been recognised by the National Lottery.”