Local fiduciary, fund and professional services provider, Abacus, have chosen Manx Decaf as their latest quarter charity and to receive all monies they have raised during the last quarter.

A total of ?1,100 was raised by Abacus and its staff through their ongoing staff salary charity deduction scheme, a raffle at their Year End Bash event and ad hoc initiatives throughout the quarter including cake bake sales.

The Douglas based company visited the Isle of Man registered charity (no. 1102) at their monthly Douglas meeting on Friday (31 July 2015), to present the cheque to Chairman, Peter Newbold, some of their volunteers and in the presence of some of those who benefit from the wonderful work the charity does.

Peter Newbold, Chairman for Manx Decaf, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Abacus to our Douglas cafe. On behalf of the charity and its beneficiaries, I would like to sincerely thank Abacus for choosing Manx Decaf as their quarter charity; their kind donation will go a long way and is hugely appreciated.”

Manx Decaf was established in 2006 by staff within the former Department of Health and Social Security after two of the Island’s Community Mental Health professionals attended a UK conference on dementia and came across the concept of dementia cafes.

The scheme was so successful that the initiative gained charity status in 2012 and now hosts four cafes across the Island each month. The cafes provide a social environment that offers both an informal setting and a place of information and support for those who have dementia or other memory problems, giving them, their relatives and carers a place to socialise, receive support and obtain the best possible advice, to prevent them from feeling isolated by their respective conditions.

Managing Director of Abacus Financial Services Limited, Martin Heaney, said: “On behalf of Abacus and its staff, I am delighted to present this donation to Manx Decaf, a well deserving and very much needed charity on the Island.

“The benefits that these cafes offer to those living with conditions like dementia or other forms of memory loss cannot be underestimated. On behalf of Abacus, I would like to thank and acknowledge the hard work and ongoing commitment of the charity and its volunteers in the provision of what we at Abacus believe to be a much needed service across the island, not only to those suffering from dementia, but to their relatives and carers who find this service a great support. It was a pleasure to meet some of the volunteers at Manx Decaf as well as some of the people that benefit from their services.”

About 820,000 people in the UK have dementia. Most are over 65, but over 15,000 are under-65. Dementia is used to describe a group of symptoms relating to behaviour and cognitive ability and although it is commonly thought of in terms of memory problems, the reality is much more complex, and symptoms between the different forms of dementia can include memory problems, confusion and mood changes.

The Manx Decaf cafes can be found throughout the island in:

• Douglas: Douglas Golf Club, Pulrose – 2:30pm till 4:30pm, last Friday of every month
• Ramsey: Ramsey Town Hall, Function Room, 2nd Floor – 2pm till 4pm, second Thursday of every month
• South: Cherry Orchard Hotel, Port Erin – 2pm till 4pm, second Wednesday of every month
• Peel: Highwayman Pub – 2:30pm till 4pm, second Tuesday of every month

For further information about Manx Decaf call the Older Persons Mental Health Team on +44 1624 642879.

Photo - left to right - Linda Johnstone (Committee member, Manx Decaf); Nicki Sinclair (Committee member, Manx Decaf); Martin Heaney (Managing Director, Abacus Financial Services Limited); Peter Newbold (Chairman, Manx Decaf); Lorrain Boyd (Finance Supervisor, Abacus) and Raina Chatel (Committee member, Manx Decaf).