After the closure of Annie Peaches café in Lamberts Mill, Rawtenstall, which accommodated a monthly dementia session, it became apparent that Rossendale lacked social resources for its residents who lived with dementia and their carers.

At that time Santander bank was still in Bacup and funded local community projects so we successfully applied for funding to run a dementia café in Bacup on a 16 week pilot basis to establish if there was a need for this type of weekly resource in the community.

We opened the café in September 2017 in Central Methodist Church Hall and it ran every Thursday until Christmas, finishing with a lovely Christmas dinner.

We employed a cook who made delicious soup every week which was served with sandwiches and hot or cold drinks, all at a very reasonable price. We also employed an activities co-ordinator who arranged for different people to visit or activities to get involved with designed to keep us thinking, talking, moving and reminiscing to keep our brains active and healthy.

We had regular customers who did not want the café to close so we have been receiving funding from different organisations and organising our own fundraising activities to keep the café open every Thursday since.

It has gone through many changes and been blessed to be part of many customers lives over the years. We have had trips out, picnics, steam train rides, afternoon teas and various celebrations that have left lots of precious memories.

We continue to make memories every Thursday at the AB&D Centre and are now called Thursday Lunch Club and all are welcome to make memories with us. Any activities or events we are holding will be advertised on our Facebook page Community Assets Standing Tall (CAST)