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Hebden Bridge's verd de gris wins award

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

Verd de gris arts has won the Outstanding Arts & Creativity category in the National Dementia Care Awards 2017.

Jeff Turner and Sharon Marsden set up this not-for-profit creative arts company in 2005 “to give people and communities a voice!”

Verd de grs

 

Jeff, Director of verd de gris arts told the HebWeb, “We are immensely proud to have won this award and to have gained recognition for the past 15 years of working in this sector.

"We have been developing creative projects with older people for over 15 years. The work we do is an inspirational and deeply enriching experience for all. We affect and transform the lives of older people whilst challenging perceptions about age and in particular dementia. The essence of our approach is to encourage people to try something new, creating experiences which are beautiful and essential.

"Often there is a perception that dementia, being an ‘incurable’ or ‘difficult’ condition is filled only with anxiety and confusion, devoid of joy or fulfilment. However, what we have experienced during our creative dementia sessions is quite the opposite. It is a space where fear and anxiety can be transformed and where the present becomes new and fulfilling."

The Soul Journey project was a collaboration between writer Paula Sutherland, photographer, filmmaker Geoff Brokate and verd de gris arts and featured original music by sound artist and composer Nina Perry. It is a poetic exploration of ageing and dementia where beauty revealed itself in the landscape of the individual.

The project was designed so that people could really engage and connect with the themes of dementia, ageing and the ‘individual’, to contribute to a shift in how aspects of the dementia condition are we considered and presented.

Winners of the National Dementia Care Awards were presented with their trophies by John Middleton at the high profile Gala Night held on Thursday 9th November at Doncaster Racecourse attended by over 400 guests.

About the Awards:
The National Dementia Care Awards is an annual event organised by The Journal of Dementia Care, a multidisciplinary journal for all professional staff working with people with dementia, in hospitals, nursing and residential care homes, day units and the community. The awards were created to recognise the very best people in the dementia care sector, whose exceptional work and contributions make better, person-centred care a reality. There were 16 categories to enter overall and there were four or five finalists in each category with two independent judges. For more information and all categories, please visit the website.