A TEAM of caring colleagues have pledged to provide more support for their customers living with dementia.

Eight members of staff from the Darlington-based branch of Swinton Insurance have signed up to the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friends initiative to protect vulnerable members of the community.

A Dementia Friends ranger from Distinct Darlington delivered the training to staff after encouraging North-East firms to join the Alzheimer’s scheme since November 2015.

Emma White, customer service manager at the Grange Road branch, said: “Insurance can be a complex subject for anyone to digest, but for those living with dementia it can be a very confusing topic.

“The training will ensure that our team can further support vulnerable customers and help those living with the condition.”

Dementia Friends rangers are prepared to visit more businesses across the North-East to reach as many communities as possible.

Alex Hirst, manager of Distinct Darlington, said: “It’s great to see the team at Swinton are backing our Dementia Friends programme, as it means they’ll be able to provide vital support to people in the community living with the disease.

“An essential part of helping people living with dementia is changing people’s perceptions of the illness and the more businesses that sign up to the scheme, the greater understanding that people across the community have of the illness.”