A new Memory Café will open its doors to members of the public on January 14, supported by staff and students at Cornwall College Camborne.

The weekly facility for people with dementia and their carers will offer support, advice and a platform to talk openly about living with dementia within a relaxed and informal environment.

The Memory Café, which will run between 2pm and 4pm on a weekly basis, will be based at the fine dining restaurant Trevenson and is being supported by social care and health, and catering students.

Curriculum lead for social care and health, Anne-Marie Young, said: “The cafés are really warm and welcoming and they give people with the condition and their carers the opportunity to socialise and receive vital support. They’re also a great source of information and guidance, which can help people to live well with the condition.”

Last year Cornwall College Camborne started the journey to becoming the first Dementia Friendly campus, as students from across the site learnt how to become Dementia Friends, a project set up and run by the Alzheimer’s Society.

Anne-Marie added: “We are hoping that local people will be willing to support the memory café and we have already had a number of volunteers come forward to help run the committee. I’m also really pleased at how the students have embraced this idea and are looking forward to getting involved.”

Trevenson restaurant supervisor at Cornwall College Camborne, Claire Winkler-Irons, added: “I think the Memory Café is a fantastic community project and we would be proud to host these afternoons and I know our students are fully engaged with the project. We’ve looked into this and we believe that we are the first college in the region to provide something like this, so we are proud to lead the way.”

The Memory Café will open for the first time at 2pm on Thursday, January 14.