GROUPS have joined together to try and make a city more dementia friendly.

As part of Dementia Awareness Week, Dementia Action Alliance and Durham Business Improvement District (BID) are working together to make the city more accessible for people suffering with the degenerative brain disease.

An information event is being held between 11.30am and 1.30pm on Wednesday at Durham Town Hall.

It will feature live performances from Easington Ukulele Band, an old photograph exhibition by Durham Records office and a Namaste taster session and hand massages provided by St Cuthbert’s Hospice.

There will also be information stalls from organisations including The Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK, Durham Constabulary and Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue and from 12.30pm there will be drop in sessions with the Dementia Friends group.

Nanette Tiplady, a senior BID ambassador who is spearheading the campaign, said: “We’re on a mission to make Durham City and the wider county dementia friendly. At Durham BID, we’re working with businesses within the levy zone to make very small tweaks to their properties to help make their business more accessible to people living with dementia.

“Simple things like putting a visual sign next to the till displaying the values of different coins, clearly signposting the door to the exit – it’s little things like this that can make a huge difference to some people, making visiting Durham a much more enjoyable experience for people living with dementia.”