About Us
Creating memories, building friendships and strengthening our community.
At Memories Dementia Café, we believe that some of life's greatest pleasures are the simplest: a friendly face, a cup of tea, a familiar song, a good conversation and the opportunity to share a laugh.
Our Café is a place where everyone is welcome, friendships are formed and people come together to enjoy each other's company.
Although our Café was established to support people living with dementia and their families, our focus is not on illness or diagnosis. It is on people, friendship, enjoyment and making the most of every day.
When you walk through our doors, you are not a diagnosis. You are simply one of us.
Past – Where Our Story Began
Memories Dementia Café began in April 2025, inspired by an initiative from Portadown Rotary Club to create a welcoming meeting place for people living with dementia, their families and carers.
The idea was simple: bring people together in a friendly, informal setting where they could enjoy good company, refreshments and a few hours of fun.
With the generous support of Portadown Wellness Centre, which provided our original premises free of charge and helped spread the word throughout the community, the Café opened its doors for the first time.
From those early gatherings, something special began to develop.
People who had arrived as strangers became familiar faces. Conversations turned into friendships, and our weekly meetings became an occasion that people looked forward to.
Through the kindness of volunteers, the generosity of supporters and the enthusiasm of those attending, Memories Dementia Café grew from a simple community idea into a much-loved weekly gathering.
Present – A Place to Belong
Today, Memories Dementia Café is based in Legahory, Craigavon, where we welcome approximately 35 people each week.
Our gatherings are filled with conversation, music, singing, games, laughter and, of course, plenty of tea, coffee and something good to eat.
Some people enjoy joining in with the music or a game of bingo. Others prefer a quiet conversation, catching up with friends or simply sitting back and enjoying the atmosphere.
There is no pressure to take part in anything. Everyone is encouraged to enjoy the Café in their own way.
For families and carers, the Café is also an opportunity to relax, meet new people and enjoy time together in a friendly environment.
Our wonderful volunteers help make all of this possible, giving their time and energy to create a place that feels welcoming, familiar and full of life.
What makes Memories Dementia Café special is not any particular activity or programme. It is the people who come through our doors and the friendships that develop between them.
We come together as friends, share a few laughs and leave looking forward to the next time.
Future – Growing Together
Our journey is only beginning.
The success of Memories Dementia Café has shown us just how much a simple, welcoming community space can mean to people.
Our ambition is to build on what we have created while holding on to the friendly, informal atmosphere that makes the Café special.
In the months and years ahead, we hope to extend our opening hours, introduce additional Café days and offer more opportunities for people to meet, enjoy activities and spend time together.
We also hope to develop arrangements that will allow carers to enjoy some additional time for themselves, while their loved ones participate in suitable, supported Café activities.
Working alongside local businesses, community organisations, volunteers and supporters will be essential as we develop these plans and secure the Café's future.
Looking further ahead, we would love to see similar cafés established in other towns and communities, each independently organised and shaped by local people, but sharing the same welcoming spirit.
Our vision is not complicated. We want to create more places where people feel welcome, where friendships flourish and where nobody needs to feel isolated or forgotten.
Whatever the future brings, one thing will remain unchanged: Memories Dementia Café will always be about people.
Good company. Good conversation. Great memories.