Broughton Retail Park marks start of a partnership with the North Wales branches of Dementia Friends and Alzheimer’s Research

Broughton Retail Park has marked the start of a partnership with the North Wales branches of Dementia Friends and Alzheimer’s Research UK by organising a special visit to Chester Zoo with three local couples living with dementia and their carers.

The trip was filled with plenty of opportunities to interact with the animals, an activity said to foster communication and calmness.

Each individual received a goody bag with cinema tickets and a meal for two, kindly donated by Cineworld and Frankie & Benny’s, as well as a keepsake book including photographs taken on the day.

The partnership has also seen the centre host a series of training sessions, run by Dementia Friends volunteer Megan Jones, for customer service teams and local residents, teaching them about dementia and what it’s like living with the condition.

Alan Barker, Centre Manager at Broughton, said: “The three lovely couples we took to the zoo didn’t know eachother, but by the end of the day they’d exchanging telephone numbers and had become good friends! This meant so much to me and showed how much of a positive impact it had on them all.

“Dementia affects millions of people across the UK and is a cause close to mine and many of my colleagues’ hearts. The Chester Zoo trip and training sessions have been a great success and we’re already planning more activity throughout next year. We’re committed to creating a shopping environment that’s dementia-friendly and helping to educate our staff and shoppers about the condition is hopefully a big step towards this.”

The partnership forms part of a broader initiative developed by co-owner British Land to ensure all its retail centres provide a safe and supportive experience for those living with dementia and their families.