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Our charity was delighted to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution of Christine Frith and Lisa Downes, who have made a remarkable difference to the lives of families caring for loved ones living with dementia.

At a special presentation, our patron, Eric, joined us to present Christine and Lisa with Certificates of Appreciation in recognition of their dedication, compassion and invaluable support in helping families access much-needed respite care.

Christine first contacted our charity around two and a half years ago, expressing her support for our cause and recognising the importance of respite care for families caring for loved ones with dementia. Lisa subsequently joined the mission, and together, working closely with Helen, they have helped connect families with the support they urgently need.

The impact of their work has been truly exceptional.

To date, our charity has supported 32 families so far, with Christine and Lisa being the main contributors.

Their achievement demonstrates the enormous difference that proactive partnership working and a genuine commitment to supporting carers can make. Their commitment has also helped us reach families in an area from which we had never previously received referrals. We later discovered that Christine and Lisa had extended their work to cover this new area, opening up further opportunities for families to access support.

Coincidentally, on the same day in the morning, a meeting was between Emma Lancaster, Social Prescribers Team Leader and Walid Marzouk and Helen Green from Dementia Carers Respite. They discussed strengthening their relationship to maximise referrals in line with both parties’ wishes. Their plan carries encouragement from Sam Burrows ICB’s Chief System Development and Engagement Officer, as well as Greg Smith MP who is the last few month has become a big supporter of the charity.

Making a Difference to Families and the NHS

Respite care provides more than a much-needed break for family carers. It gives them time to rest, recharge and look after their own wellbeing while knowing their loved ones are being supported.

Access to timely respite care can also help reduce the risk of carers reaching crisis point, potentially preventing avoidable GP appointments, mental health support needs, A&E attendances and costly hospital admissions. By helping families receive the right support at the right time, respite care can benefit carers, the people they care for and the wider NHS.

The positive feedback we have received from the families we support is encouraging, with an 86% satisfaction rating reflecting the value of the service we provide.

A Heartfelt Thank You

Speaking at the presentation, a charity representative said:

“On behalf of our charity and all the families you have helped, I want to thank Christine and Lisa from the bottom of my heart.

“Your dedication, compassion and belief in our mission have made a real and measurable difference. Your referrals have helped us reach families who may otherwise have missed out on vital respite support.

“We hope your example will inspire other colleagues to follow your lead. By working together, we can reach more families, support more carers and help prevent families from reaching crisis point.”

We are immensely grateful to Christine Frith and Lisa Downs for their continued commitment and for demonstrating the power of effective partnership working between social prescribers and local charities.

Their contribution is a wonderful example of how a relatively small action, such as making a referral, can have a life-changing impact on families who need support.

Thank you, Christine and Lisa, for helping us make a difference. We look forward to building on this partnership and working together Emma Lancaster , her team , Sam Burrows and Greg Smith to ensure that more families caring for loved ones with dementia can access the respite and support they deserve.

Local triathlete, Veronica Green-Jones, from Prestwood, is gearing up for an extraordinary challenge to support family carers of people living with dementia. Veronica, who works at a girls’ school in Amersham and in an art gallery in London, will be competing in the well known Blenheim Palace Triathlon 2024 on June 1st and 2nd as a ‘Weekend Warrior.’ This means she will be completing not just one triathlon, but repeating the event as many times as she can throughout the weekend, within the constraints of the event race waves times.
Veronica’s passion for triathlons began in 2018 when she competed in her first triathlon and was “bitten by the bug.”. Her promising athletic journey took a pause in 2019 when she had to withdraw from the event due to being heavily pregnant with her third child. The pandemic further delayed her return to the sport, but she made a triumphant comeback in 2022. That year, she not only competed but excelled, finishing first in her age group and as the second female overall.
Balancing her demanding schedule, which includes working and caring for her three young sons, Veronica has continued to achieve remarkable feats in the triathlon world. In 2022, she qualified for the GB Age-Group Teams in Aquathlon and clinched the top spot in her female age group at the European Aquathlon Championships in Belgium. She also emerged victorious in her age group at the British Championships held at Hever Castle last September.
Veronica’s journey to becoming a triathlete is even more inspiring considering her childhood struggles. “For someone who was really ill as a child and early teen and missed 4 years from school with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME, it gives me no end of pleasure to be fit and well. I’ve never looked back,” she says. Her personal experience with chronic illness and the intense care she received from her parents has fueled her commitment to supporting carers.
Veronica’s motivation for this year’s Blenheim Palace Triathlon is deeply personal and philanthropic. She aims to raise funds for the charity, Dementia Carers Respite, a cause close to her heart. All the money raised will be used to provide much-needed respite for family carers of people living with dementia in Buckinghamshire.
Join Veronica in her inspiring endeavor by donating to her fundraising campaign at https://bit.ly/3xZvPCJ and help make a difference in the lives of those caring for loved ones with dementia. Your support can provide a vital lifeline to these dedicated carers, offering them the opportunity to rest and recharge.

Read our updated post about the triumph for Veronica at the triathlon. 

As a splendid endorsement of the invaluable work of Dementia Carers’ Respite (DCR), Walid Marzouk, the charity’s Chair, was invited to a No. 10 Downing Street Reception held for the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission on 20^th March 2024.

Coming just three days short of the charity’s first anniversary helped make this a special event, in which Walid was delighted to participate, especially knowing that most attendees were from larger and more well-established organisations.

Walid said, ‘Having the pleasure of meeting Hilary Evans and speaking to Professor Nadeen Sarwar, Co-chairs of the Mission, I learnt the good news that affordable testing for dementia is soon becoming available, as well as new treatments within the next decade.

I also spoke to Scott Mitchell (Barbara Windsor’s husband), who was announced as the People’s Champion of the National Mission to beat dementia, founded in his wife’s memory. Scott knows the Chesham and Amersham areas and we hope he will visit DCR very soon.

Fruitful discussions were held with many other people from large and small charities and NGOs, as well as policy makers. As I was leaving, a lady from a Swansea charity, who overheard me talking about our work, stopped me to say “I am in awe of what you are doing” – what a credit to pay to our wonderful team!’

A most memorable day and a wonderful experience as well as very useful high-level networking for Dementia Carers’ Respite.