The Memory Café, taking place in the Victorian park's tea room every Wednesday from 27 February, will enable individuals and families to meet other people with the condition, take part in activities, share their experiences and find out more about the help and support available to them, all while enjoying some delicious food and drink from the café.
The café is being run by the City of Wolverhampton Council's Catering Team and Councillor Peter Bilson, Cabinet Member for City Assets, said: "Our catering team provide the Meals on Wheels service and so our staff meet people living with dementia and other similar conditions on a daily basis.
"They wanted to continue to provide support in another way by giving people living with dementia and their families a place to come and meet.
"The café is in a wonderful setting which in itself is peaceful and beautiful and so makes for a great venue in which people with diagnosed dementia and their friends and carers can meet, chat and get informal support.
"They can expect a welcoming environment where everyone understands the challenges of the condition, and of caring for someone who is living with it. At the same time, they can enjoy hot or cold drinks, cakes and other delicious snacks from the tea room."
In preparation for the launch of the new café, catering staff including Catering Manager Tina Lauchlan, Area Catering Officers Louise Moan and Mat Lyons, Café Supervisors Nicola Hindley and Jay Patel, and Café Assistant Victoria Ford have been trained as Dementia Friends. Around 2.5 million people in the UK have signed up to become Dementia Friends, learning what it is like to live with dementia and turning that understanding into action.
As well as the Memory Café, the council has teamed up with the Alzheimer's Society to run 3 Dementia Cafés in the city. These take place at Linden House, Tettenhall Road, on the first Tuesday of the month from 10am to 12pm, Wednesfield Community Centre, Well Lane, from 10am to 12pm on the second Tuesday of the month and Bilston People's Centre, Wolverhampton Street, on the first Friday of the month from 2pm to 4pm.
Wolverhampton was officially granted Dementia Friendly Community status by the Alzheimer's Society in December 2017 in recognition of the efforts being made by members of Wolverhampton Dementia Action Alliance to improve services for people living with dementia, and their families and carers.
David Watts, the council's Director of Adult Services, said: "There are more than 3,000 people living with dementia in Wolverhampton, and we want to make sure we do all we can to help them by understanding the daily challenges they and their carers face.
"The launch of the new Memory Café, running alongside our existing Dementia Cafés, is just one of the ways we are working to make Wolverhampton an even more Dementia Friendly Community, creating a city which is welcoming and supportive of people with dementia and their families."
The Memory Café will be held at West Park tea room every Wednesday from 1pm to 3pm, starting on 27 February. For details, please call the tea room on 01902 552122.
The Dementia Action Alliance is co-ordinated by the City of Wolverhampton Council and comprises a wide range of organisations including retailers, businesses, health and the emergency services, charities, religious groups and education providers, as well as carers and people living with the condition, which are working to improve services.
To find out more about the Dementia Action Alliance, please contact Susan Eagle on 01902 555344 or via susan.eagle@wolverhampton.gov.uk. More information is also available at Dementia Action Alliance - Wolverhampton.
