WINSFORD’S St Luke’s Hospice has had two of its new dementia projects shortlisted for a Northern Lights Dementia Award.

The awards, ran by the Northern England Clinical Networks, celebrate the great work happening in dementia across northern England.

St Luke’s Hospice partnered with Sandbach-based charity The End of Life Partnership (EoLP), East Cheshire Hospice and Dementia UK, to set up one of the projects shortlisted, an Advanced Dementia Support Team.

The team promotes a palliative compassionate approach to the care of people with dementia.

St Luke’s Hospice and The EoLP also jointly established the second project, a Namaste Care Programme which seeks to engage people with advanced dementia through sensory input.

Siobhan Horton, director of strategy and engagement at St Luke’s, said: “Over recent years, St Luke’s wanted to find new ways to help people with advanced dementia.

“We worked with many great individuals and organisations and together developed the Advanced Dementia Support Team and the Namaste Project. However, worthwhile ideas are dependent on talented, hard-working people taking the ideas into action and reality.

“We are very blessed with such staff in both initiatives, who care deeply about the individuals and families they are serving. I am so proud of them all and wish they could be joint winners.”

The winner of the award will be announced on Thursday, March 30. However, Annamarie Challinor from The EoLP, says the ‘real winners’ are those who will benefit from the projects.

Annamarie, head of education and service development, said: “It has been a privilege working with our partners on these projects. The Advanced Dementia Support Team has brought a range of valuable skills into the partnership and they now form an integral part of our programme. Dementia is a terminal illness and the Namaste project brings great comfort and pleasure in a designated safe environment for people living with dementia.

“The real winners of these projects are those patients and carers who we touch and I wish both teams good luck for the final and the future.”

For more information on either of these projects, visit eolp.org.uk