Our History

 

dementia forward

 

George Armitage House

 

 

Dementia Forward Conference

 

  • April 2012 Dementia Forward was formed in Ripon, North Yorkshire, by seven enthusiastic and experienced founder members.
  • July 2012 We officially gained charity status and were overjoyed to receive our charity number (1148225).
  • June 2014 Dementia Forward was awarded its first contract, spreading our services to York and The Vale, and doubling the team.
  • May 2017 We opened our first Dementia Hub, George Armitage House in beautiful Burton Leonard, thanks to a generous legacy and incredible community support.
  • April 2019 We were awarded the dementia support contract by North Yorkshire County Council, and became the leading dementia charity for the county.
  • March 2020 The country went into lockdown and the DF team began working from home and developing new ideas to support people during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • June 2021 Dementia Forward volunteers were honoured to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the MBE for voluntary groups. Watch our celebratory video here: Queen’s Award Video.
  • January 2022 Dementia Forward was one of 10 proud winners of the GSK IMPACT Award for working to improve people’s health and wellbeing.
  • October 2022 We launched our U&ME Campaign for Young Onset Dementia, and National Young Onset Dementia Awareness Day, which is now recognised annually on October 24th as a day to raise awareness and push for specialist support. U&ME Campaign – Dementia Forward, North Yorkshire’s leading dementia charity
  • January 2023 It was announced that Dementia Forward founder and CEO, Jill Quinn, was to receive an MBE in King Charles’ first New Year’s Honours list.
  • March 2023 8 Hub Clubs, wellbeing services in each district of North Yorkshire, a staff team of 60 and over 200 volunteers providing outstanding support to our services.
  • November 2024 Dementia Forward was announced as a future recipient of a Tree of Hope – a Sycamore Gap Sapling – to provide Hope and a place of sanctuary for people affected by young onset dementia.
  • February 2025 We announce that we will open our 11th Hub Club in North Yorkshire, in Scarborough.

    Watch our video celebrating the first few years of Dementia Forward: