Our second Brain Health & Dementia Resource Centre is now open

On Thursday 5 June, we celebrated the opening of our second Outdoor Brain Health & Dementia Resource Centre, located in the lodge at Lauriston Castle, Edinburgh. This follows the success of our pioneering site at Badaguish in the Cairngorms, the first of its kind in the UK.

Spending time outdoors is a vital part of living well with dementia and has been proven to enhance mental, physical, and social wellbeing. The renovated lodge and gardens, lovingly restored by the Forget-Me-Not Trust, will now host a range of therapeutic activities, including gardening and horticulture, relaxation and yoga, community cafés, and Green Health programmes. We also welcome visits from anyone interested in learning more about protecting their own brain health.

We were delighted to be joined on the day by our special guest, dementia campaigner and former husband of Dame Barbara Windsor, Scott Mitchell.

Henry Simmons, Alzheimer Scotland’s Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to be opening this inspiring and innovative new Centre in the grounds of beautiful Lauriston Castle.

“People living with dementia can often become socially isolated, or struggle to access the outdoors, but our Lauriston Centre will help to bring the benefits of nature directly to them.

“It has taken a lot of work to restore and adapt the old Lauriston lodge but it now looks fantastic. A special thank you goes to the former Forget-Me-Not Trust and Edinburgh City Council who helped make this project a reality.

“We look forward to welcoming people into the Centre, whether it’s to join in the various groups and activities, or to ask our team for advice and support on dementia and brain health.”

This is our 27th Centre, bringing dementia support and brain health information to communities across Scotland. Find your nearest Centre here.