Twickenham's Marble Hill House has been working to become more dementia friendly as it prepares to welcome visitors back again.

It now has 35 qualified 'dementia friends' among its staff and volunteers and will be running dementia-friendly tours when the house opens (it is currently closed for refurbishment).

The training was run last week by Age UK Richmond, as part of Richmond council's initiative to become a more dementia-friendly borough.

Sara Wilcox, Dementia Friendly Communities Co-Ordinator for Age UK Richmond, said that investment in dementia training can make a huge difference for tourist attractions.

Wilcox, who delivered the training, said: "Over two Dementia Friends sessions, Marble Hill House created 35 new Dementia Friends amongst their staff and volunteers which is wonderful for the Richmond community, especially those visiting the House.

"These sessions raise awareness of the lived experience of dementia and give people the confidence to engage with people who have serious memory loss, through information provision, group exercises, and five key messages that the Alzheimer's Society wants people to take away with them - for example 'It is possible to live well with dementia'.

"When an attraction like Marble Hill House invests in specific dementia-friendly activities they are taking steps to reduce the isolation and loneliness that people living with dementia report they often experience.

"We all want to feel at ease out in the community and enjoy local tourist attractions. When the staff and volunteers are committed to welcoming people with dementia and their carers to their venue it means that they recognise the importance of inclusivity and are having a hugely positive impact on our client group."

Marble Hill House hopes to run another training day so that all staff and volunteers are aware of the needs of those with dementia and can support visitors with dementia and their carers.

Dementia Friendly (Communities) Richmond is a council-funded project being delivered by Age UK Richmond.

The project aims to support those with dementia and their carers, and create an inclusive borough where all residents affected by dementia are empowered and supported to live well.

Read more about the Dementia Friendly Richmond project here.

Other stories

- Marble Hill Park's new café opens!

- £6 million upgrade for one of Twickenham's major parks