St Joseph’s Shankill awards Cherished Memories prizes

ST JOSEPH'S in Shankill has celebrated the first ever primary school’s dementia awareness programme at Explorium: The National Sports and Science Centre. 

The centre hosted the inaugural Cherished Memories Art Competition Prize giving in June.

Mark Langtry ‘The Science Guy’ was on hand to present the students with their prizes. Forty local primary schools were invited to enter and over 600 students took part in one of the five categories.

The Cherished Memories Art Competition focused on cherished memories, and what memories mean to primary school children.

Children took part by drawing on a cherished memory and writing a few words about that memory and explaining why it is important to them. 

Siobhan Grant, fundraising manager at Saint Joseph’s said:“We are so grateful to Lidl Shankill and Explorium: The National Sports and Science Centre for sponsoring this initiative which forms a part of the first ever Primary Schools Dementia Awareness Programme.

“It has given us a platform to establish connections with the local schools in our community to begin a conversation about dementia with our young people and how we can all help people enjoy the quality of life they de-serve.”

A special prize of a day pass for the whole class to Explorium: The National Sports and Science Museum for the Best Class effort was awarded to Ms Fox’s Senior Infants Class at Rathmichael National School. 

The winners’ prizes were donated by the new Lidl Shankill, and from Explorium: The National Sports and Science Centre. 

On St Joseph's Shankill’s website there are some classroom discussion tips for teachers to help their students delve a little deeper into what dementia means and the affects it may have on people and their lives, and ways to help them. 

St Joseph’s Shankill is the only care home in Ireland solely dedicated to dementia care.

Their vision is to lead the way in dementia care in Ireland through innovation, education and community engagement.

“We want to ensure families and communities are supported, engaged and empowered to enable people living with dementia to enjoy the quality of life they deserve,” they say.

“St Joseph’s Shankill plan for 2019 is to create greater awareness of the work of Saint Joseph’s, Shankill, to create new programmes and to support the carers and those people living with dementia in our local community.

“With 11 people diagnosed with dementia every day in Ireland there is a great need in society for specialised dementia care.

“Everyone knows someone living with this devastating illness which is indiscriminate in its onset and the effects on people and their families can often be overwhelming. 

“We rely on the support of our community, not only through engagement and volunteering but also through donations.”