Our community and partners
The community we work in is just as important as the customers themselves. This is why we try to do more than help those in our Care; we improve awareness and support for the community as a whole.
Bluebird Care Colchester & Tendring is passionate about helping people in our local community and will always go the extra mile. We value our community, working with local services and businesses to hold events, like our very successful Dementia Friends sessions.
Gallery
![Beverley-Dementia-Friends-Session](/getmedia/a7fe5d5c-9990-4174-ae75-de0f13a0f453/Beverley-Dementia-Friends-Session.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
Beverley Gilbert delivering a Dementia Friends session at the Waitrose Cafe
![Birthday 100](/getmedia/1233754e-4b26-4653-a1ef-d48138522f28/IMG-20191028-WA0011.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
![Bluebird Care Colchester's First Dementia Friends Session at Waitrose Cafe.](/getmedia/512159fe-0be7-4452-bf1b-9ceab7fc1d3f/Waitrose-Colchester-Dementia-Friends.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
Krissy Edwards (Care Manager at Tendring) can be seen here with the attendees of our first Dementia Friends session held at Waitrose Cafe.
Krissy Edwards (Tendring Care Manager) can be seen with the attendees of a previous Dementia Friends session at Morrisons in Clacton-on-Sea.
![Braintree information day](/getmedia/c63569b8-9f5a-4353-9610-f0e96130b7d3/braintree-information-day_4.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
The team at Clacton Library following a Dementia Friends session with Beverley.
![Culver Square Recruitment Day](/getmedia/2321d342-f184-4b79-a7e2-2d6ec8154ce2/Culver-Square.png?width=800&resizemode=force)
Bluebird Care Colchester have held several recruitment days at Culver Square in the Colchester town centre.
10th Dementia Friends Session at Waitrose, pictured here: Sir Bob Russell, Krissy Edwards, Christina Mann and Ian Dowes.
![Erin](/getmedia/3a4a07f8-576e-45b9-804b-14a56cdee058/81726498-2765965570151488-7712213494841475072-o.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
![Henry](/getmedia/7d28a67b-0a2e-4d98-9890-03c6eb290778/Henry.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
Henry the dog - Bluebird Care volunteer.
![Henry-Badge](/getmedia/28be94ac-e7a1-4dde-9987-ab0257f4003b/Henry-Badge.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
Henry's new badge for his customer visits.
Cally at Morrisons leading up to the next Dementia Friends session.
Thank you letter given to Krissy Edwards from a young attendee at a dementia friends session in Morrisons, Harwich.
![Macmillan Coffee Morning](/getmedia/1df70800-fcf2-49ae-8a1b-24dc3b0fbad9/IMG-20190927-122827.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
![Poplar Nurseries Dementia Friends](/getmedia/9ed9f92d-6e1f-47af-80e9-4246056206a7/20191023-150217.jpg?width=800&resizemode=force)
Partnering with local businesses to improve awareness and support for those who need it is such an important part of what we do. These are just some of the local businesses we partner with to promote relevant causes, raise awareness or just to help where we can:
DAA Action Alliance Group
Colchester Dementia Action Alliance was formed in August 2016 to make the district a more dementia aware community. The Colchester DAA is a partnership of organisations, businesses, and community groups that work together to build dementia friendly communities.
Bluebird Care are part of the DAA partnership, working together to make the community dementia friendly. Our very own Dementia Champion Rob Wallace has been fundamental in signing up the following businesses and organisations to the partnership:
- Fenwick Colchester
- Waitrose Colchester
- Poplar Nurseries Ltd
Through Rob's work with Dementia Friends we have raised awareness throughout the community and encouraged local businesses to sign up to the partnership. Bluebird Care will continue its work throughout the community in the hope that we can encourage further businesses to become part of the alliance.
We are very active in our Dementia Friends sessions, supporting the Alzheimer's Society initiative. We regularly hold sessions in the community to help raise awareness of dementia. Our Dementia Champions have accumulated over 200 Dementia Friends this year.
We are always looking for new ways to support the Alzheimer's Society and most recently one of our Care Managers took part in a tandem skydive to raise funds for the cause. So far the team have managed to raise £1146.23.
St. John's Church Colchester
St. John's Church hold many activities to support those in the community. In some cases members of the community are unable to attend these activities without the right transport. Our Bluebird Care community bus has provided transport for some local church members who need support to attend.
One of the popular events at the church is the Evergreen Lunch Club which is held every second Thursday of the month.
Waitrose
We have been working with Waitrose Colchester for almost five years to promote the Dementia Friends initative in store. Waitrose have been very welcoming to us, providing a venue to hold our Dementia Friends Sessions. The sessions have been a great success and as our first local business to hold them we have been very thankful to Waitrose for their continued support with the Alzheimer's Society initiative and Bluebird Care. In support of our goal to create a dementia friendly community, Waitrose have also signed up to the Dementia Action Alliance partnership.