V-Festival – Sunday & Monday
Sunday 21st: we opened at 10.30 lots milling around, people coming over to talk, others saying hello because we have got to know them over the weekend, everywhere very busy and loud more people arriving on day tickets for Justin Bieber. On Sunday afternoon there was a horrific Motor Accident on the M6 and everybody, Festival goers and stall holders were told they couldn’t leave until the lunchtime Monday (that meant all people on day tickets as well as weekenders). The organisers decided to leave entertainment on until extra late to keep everyone amused (4am), don’t know what the day comers, did for sleep or warmth it wasn’t the warmest of nights. We were kept busy with lots of talking, it’s amazing how many people open up with us and tell us that it is the first time they have really talked about it, not many people know how many different types of dementia that there are, some are very surprised to hear that it isn’t a natural part of ageing and that not all dementia’s are Alzheimer’s. Liam and Ste have done a couple of haircuts and beard trims and thrown a few Frisbees into the crowd, good fun was had by all this afternoon. All is very lively and loud… Closed up at 7.30pm
Justin Bieber is on about 8.30-9pm.
Monday 22nd: up at 7am, cup of tea then dismantled Gazebo and loaded everything back into motorhome, by 10am everywhere looked so surreal with half dismantled fair rides, lots of space where stalls had been and it was so very eerily quiet, which after all the noise over the weekend made you feel a bit strange. We weren’t allowed to leave the site until midday, then it was onto M6 and homeward bound, lots of stop start queueing up to Manchester then it was a breeze got home about 6pm. Motorhome unloaded at various places, then home to our own beds, and the cat’s.
What a brilliant 6 day’s these have been, for many reasons, most of all for the people we met and talked to. Thank you to all those people who came to speak to us, I hope you went away more aware and enlightened about Dementia.
We would also like to give big thanks to Roadhouse Productions Sue Fielding and Dick Vernon for giving Action For Dementia the opportunity to be a part of the 21st V Festival, and hope we made enough of an impression to be remembered and allowed back next year.
Lastly but not least, Big Big Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund for making our events possible, supporting us to raise people’s awareness of Dementia, enabling us to reach out to all age groups, genders, races and faiths, 16-70 yrs. of age helping us to keep Dementia being talked about & not forgotten.
Dementia is a difficult and feared subject but with funding from the Big Lottery Fund we have been able to “Get out There” in town centres, large events, festivals and talk to a lot of people about Dementia, the language used for Dementia now, Dementia friendly communities & businesses and volunteering in the community, we find such a lot of people just want to talk and/or to understand more about their experience of Dementia. We look forward to carrying on with our Big Lottery Fund project and reaching out to many more people. Once again Big Thankyou’s from all at Action For Dementia.
