Anyone who looks after someone with dementia knows how scattered the help can feel. One number for the carers’ charity, another for the advice service, a leaflet from the surgery that got put somewhere safe and never seen again. On Tuesday 29 September, the patient group at New Wokingham Road Surgery is putting those people in one room in Crowthorne for the evening, and entry is free.
It runs from 7:00pm to 9:30pm at the Morgan Centre, and it’s open to carers, family, friends, and anyone who simply wants to understand dementia better.
Time, Place and How to Get There
- Date: Tuesday 29 September 2026.
- Time: 7:00pm to 9:30pm.
- Venue: The Morgan Centre, Wellington Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire RG45 7LD.
- Cost: Free, no booking mentioned.
- Organised by: New Wokingham Road Surgery Patient Participation Group
Some event listings have the postcode down as RG45 7LJ. The Morgan Centre itself sits at RG45 7LD, so that’s the one to put into a sat nav.
The centre has its own car park. For anyone who finds steps difficult, the step-free route to the main entrance goes out through the car park’s “Shops” exit onto Wellington Road by the High Street, rather than the most obvious way in. There’s a bus stop within about 150 metres, and Crowthorne station is the nearest railway station. Accessible public toilets are on site too, reached from the recreation ground and the car park side.
Who Will Be in the Room
- Dementia Advisory Service (Bracknell).
- Signal for Carers.
- Age UK Berkshire.
- New Wokingham Road Surgery PPG, the group hosting the evening.
More contributors are still to be announced, so the final list may well be longer by the night itself.
Across the evening there will be talks from expert speakers, tables from local organisations and support services, information and leaflets to take home, and time to ask questions. The organisers describe it as friendly and supportive, and the point is as much about meeting other local people in the same position as it is about the talks.
Getting the Most Out of Two and a Half Hours
An evening like this goes quickly once you’re chatting at a stand, and the question you most needed answered is often the one that gets forgotten on the way home. Writing a few things down beforehand helps a great deal. Useful ones to bring along might be:
- what support is available locally if you’re the one doing most of the caring.
- how to get a break, even for a few hours, and who arranges it.
- what to do if things change quickly and you’re not sure who to call first.
- where to go for help with forms, benefits or planning ahead.
A notebook or phone to jot down names and numbers is worth having too, since several services will be there at once and they can blur together afterwards.
Carers sometimes hold back from events like this because the person they look after can’t easily be left alone. The invitation says everyone is welcome, so it’s reasonable to come together if that makes the evening possible.
Pass It On
The patient group has asked people to share the event with anyone who might benefit, and that tends to matter more with dementia than with most things. The neighbour who has quietly started doing their husband’s shopping, the friend whose mum keeps phoning them at night, the person who hasn’t yet said the word dementia out loud at all. A free evening in a village hall is an easier first step than a phone call to a service they’ve never heard of.
Tuesday 29 September, 7pm, the Morgan Centre on Wellington Road.