STUDENTS at Newent Community School have continued their mission to boost awareness of dementia in society by giving a well-received talk to town councillors.

And their actions have led to high praise from the town council and a claim that Newent is a example and a beacon for others, when it comes to understanding and helping people with dementia.

The school was selected to pilot David Cameron's Challenge on Dementia, back in 2013; and since then, pupils have impressed their teachers and local communities with their understanding of the condition and their actions to tackle stigma.

In 2015, the school's initiative even caught the attention of ITN Productions, which sent in a camera crew to show what the students were doing to raise awareness of dementia in Gloucestershire.

Last week, Year Eight pupils Holly Gibson, Olivia Gladwin and Leo Kelly went to the council offices to give a talk and to lead activities, raising awareness of the condition.

Di Harrill, Newent Community School’s head of personal, social and health education, said: “The students shared their knowledge of dementia with the town council; they encouraged the members to imagine how it might feel to have dementia by using visualisation games. We are hoping that together we can help Newent become dementia-friendly and help people here live well with the condition.”

Praising the students, Newent Town Councillor, Vilnis Vesma said: “This was an exemplary initiative which, combined with a briefing on what the council has done for local businesses and the work of local housing associations and others, helps to show that the town can claim to be something of a beacon in the region when it comes to raising awareness of dementia.”