St Austell Parkinsons Cafe
Parkinsons Cafe in Bethel, St Austell
Parkinson’s Cornwall set up the cafe which has been led for many years by Nick and Jan Wilder and supported by St Austell Rotary. Last November we were asked to help lead the cafe and were delighted to accept. We were close before the pandemic a few years ago to opening a memory cafe in the area and it’s great to be involved in supporting a community event like this again.
Held on the Second Wednesday of the month in Bethel Chapel, we aim to provide a friendly, informative and welcoming cafe for people living with Parkinson’s. Open from 10:30 until 1:30 pm, we offer coffee and tea on arrival. We’ll have a speaker or activity at 11 o’clock then a light lunch at 12. After this, we aim to have gentle and fun exercises before we finish at around 1:30. There is parking on site and we have regular attendance of about 20 people.
St Austell Rotary continue to support the cafe with a volunteer helping set up lunch, serve and clear away. They do a great deal for local charities and we are very grateful for their support. If you are interested in joining, contact them on this link How to join Rotary Club of St. Austell. With Rotary, you can enjoy the benefits of business networking, personal development, meeting new friends, hearing inspiring speakers, having a great deal of fun and experiencing that special sense of fulfilment that comes from achieving something really worthwhile.
For more information please contact Rhiannon or patrick at Home Instead on 01726 829312.
A Wonderful January Parkinson’s Café Brings People Together in St Austell
Our January Parkinson’s Café was a truly uplifting way to start the year, bringing warmth, creativity and connection to everyone who joined us. We were delighted to welcome 22 attendees, including several people coming along for the first time – it was lovely to see some new faces alongside our regular café friends.
We were especially pleased to welcome Laura Walker from The Sensory Trust, who gave a fascinating and heartfelt talk about the charity’s work supporting health and wellbeing through contact with nature. Laura spoke in particular about Creative Spaces, The Sensory Trust’s flagship dementia project. This inspiring programme is based on strong evidence showing that the health and wellbeing of people living with dementia can be significantly improved by introducing meaningful contact with nature and the outdoors.
Creative Spaces focuses on bringing together people who may be feeling lonely or isolated and who are living with mild to moderate dementia. Through nature-based activities, participants are supported to reconnect with the outdoors, enjoy positive shared experiences and meet others in similar situations. It was clear from Laura’s talk just how powerful these opportunities can be, not only for individuals but also for their families and carers.
After the talk, Laura led a fun, hands-on activity, inviting everyone to press flowers into rolled-out clay to create beautiful keepsakes to take home. We were also very grateful to our wonderful volunteers, Wendy from Andy’s Flowers and John from St Austell Rotary, whose help and encouragement made the activity even more enjoyable. The room was filled with smiles, conversation and creativity.
Following lunch, we were joined by Kate from Parkinson’s Cornwall, who guided the group through a series of gentle exercises. These were carefully designed to be accessible and enjoyable for all, and they proved a real hit. Laughter and encouragement flowed as people moved together, showing just how beneficial light activity can be in a relaxed and supportive setting.
The Parkinson’s Café continues to be a special space where people can connect, learn and enjoy each other’s company in a friendly and welcoming environment. A heartfelt thank you to Laura, Kate, Wendy and John and to everyone who came along and helped make January’s café such a success. We’re already looking forward to the next one.
If you’d like to find out more about future Parkinson’s Café events in Mid Cornwall, please get in touch with the Home Instead Mid Cornwall team – we’d love to welcome you. 💙