Sheffield cafe aimed at people with dementia is a finalist in national awards

Ruth Bartles aged 51, from Intake, decided to open the Remember When cafe in Hackenthorpe when her grandmother was living with dementia and she couldn’t find somewhere suitable to take her and her own children out for food.

The cafe is filled with items such as old photographs, and music from years gone by is played to stimulate memories of those with dementia.

Remember When was a finalist for the BBC Food and Farming awards recently, being shortlisted from 400 nominations after a diner nominated them for their work.

Ruth said: “I just answered the call and it was The One Show telling me I was one of the finalists.

"I didn’t even know I had been nominated. I realised I was making a difference without knowing it.

"I set up Remember When so that you could come with anybody. “We have enough people working so that we have time to sit with people and have a chat and generally make people feel comfortable. It is like a home from home.

“Every review on Google is five stars. We sometimes have a singer in the cafe.

"One time a lady couldn’t tell us what she wanted and her husband ordered for her.

"But then she got up and sang a song on the karaoke. That means more to me than the reviews.”

Remember When also won a Sheffield Care award in 2019 and were finalists in the Great British Care Awards 2020.

Ruth added: “It is very rewarding. A lot of the time we are having a laugh, some of the time we are in tears with people.

"For people who don’t have dementia and just come in for food, it is educational for them.

“I did postgraduate study into dementia, but other than that the staff aren’t specially trained.

"They are friendly and happy to talk to people. It is not respite care, but it is a safe space for people to come.”

“We invite people that are on their own in and we sit people together and they become friends.

"Some have gone to the pictures together.

"And it is people who have been on their own for a couple of years.”