About us
Devon Memory Cafe Consortium (DMCC) was set up by Devon memory cafes for Devon memory cafes. Our small committee, who have been charged with running the consortium, are all involved with memory cafes across the county.
At the heart of the aim of the DMCC is to support people living with dementia and their carers through the memory cafe movement – making sure that they have access to peer support, information and advice and meaningful activities. DMCC is a membership organisation that has been set up by mostly independent memory cafes.
We hold an annual convention to keep all our members up to date with current developments. Membership of DMCC is open to all memory cafes across the county.
Meet our committee
Trustees
Mary Garvey
Chair
I became the chair of DMCC at the end of 2022. I had previously worked with the Alzheimer’s Society from 2002 to 2011 as Director of Services for the East of England and then as Director of Service Development for the organisation. Since moving to Devon in 2017, I have worked as dementia services coordinator with Totnes Caring where I provide a dementia information service, carer support groups and a weekly memory cafe.
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My mother died from Alzheimer’s disease so I am passionate about improving dementia services and believe that the DMCC can enable people affected by dementia across Devon to access quality support at memory cafes.
Anne McKiernan
Vice Chair
Anne has worked in the charity and education sector for most of her working life. Her charity experiences have ranged from setting up and running a Home-Start project in Exeter, working as a Regional Fundraiser and Education Officer for Action Aid, and then raising the first one million pound donation for the building of a specialist dementia care home for Methodist Homes.
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Her final role, before semi-retirement, was as Healthcare Business Lead for Warwick University, where she secured funding for research in dementia, and other diseases. Anne has been the Café Coordinator for Barnstaple Memory Café since January 2016.
Tim Peters
Trustee
Tim is now retired and living in Totnes, after forty years in the delivered wholesale food industry. He is a long-time trustee and volunteer with Ivybridge Caring, and coordinator for Ivybridge Memory Cafe. Tim is also a trustee with South Hams Community Action, a volunteer dog walker for Woodside Animal Sanctuary, and a keen cyclist who completed the John o’ Groats to Land’s End journey in 2022.
Cindy Furse
Trustee
I work for Spark Somerset as the Somerset VCFSE Dementia Partnership Coordinator, part of the Somerset Dementia Wellbeing Service. I also lead Light Up Axminster, am a Director for Axminster Carnival Ltd and am a trustee on the St Mary’s Friends of the Minster, Axminster. I volunteer at Axminster Memory Cafe.
Jill Dudding
Trustee
My interest in supporting our local memory cafe came once I became a volunteer with Ottery Help Scheme – a small local charity which supports, in the main, older residents to medical appointments plus a host of other activities, all supported by volunteers. These activities include the memory cafe, a friendship group, a variety of social groups, home services, befriending, seated exercise and more!
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After supporting the memory cafe as a volunteer, there was a need for someone to take on the lead. This was just before the impact of the lockdowns in Covid times. I stepped into this role and we set up a telephone befriending scheme to offer attendees and their loved ones an arm of support.
Our memory cafe has grown so we now have approximately 30 attendees at each meeting with a wide range of capabilities and variation in the impact of their dementia diagnosis.
I thoroughly enjoy coordinating the regular team of volunteers, encouraging them to participate in planning sessions and widening their knowledge so they have a good understanding of the impact of dementia.
Trustee
My grandmother, grandfather and father had dementia. I was Senior Information Officer at the Alzheimer’s Society between 1995 and 2002, during which time I set up the National Alzheimer’s Helpline. I have been a director of Innovations in Dementia CIC since 2007. I have delivered training to dementia cafes since 2009 – including the online training resource, the Memory Cafe Hub.
Administrator
Jane Edwards
I started as a part-time administrator for Devon Memory Cafe Consortium in 2018 after many years of working for a charity specialising in disability employment rehabilitation across the South West region. My current role involves supporting the Chairperson and trustees in the day-to-day running of the charity as well as liaising with the members and dealing with correspondence.
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Outside of DMCC I help run a drop-in group for lonely and isolated people and am reserve co-ordinator for Clickers Memory Cafe in Cullompton.