For Brian
“When I get on a bicycle, I leave my dementia monster at home.”
One in three people will develop dementia, and yet it remains a much-misunderstood condition. People don’t like to talk about it, assume it’s something only older people get, and think it will be obvious if you meet someone who’s living with it.
In fact, people often live with relatively mild symptoms for several years. What’s more, 70,800 people in the UK who have dementia developed it before they turned 65.
Clare Morris is the founder of For Brian, a dementia-inclusive CIC. She shares, “People of all ages, all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds can get dementia. I worked for many years with people with rare forms of dementia, some of whom were teenagers. People think dementia is just about memory, but you can also have problems with balance, mobility, communication, and visual and/or auditory perception.
“The thing that lights up the brain the most is social interaction and laughter. At For Brian, we walk, we cycle, we have parties, we have coffee mornings. It’s a space away from worries; there’s no need to divulge a diagnosis or fill in a referral form and we don’t talk about dementia unless they bring it up. As one woman with Alzheimer’s says, ‘It’s nice not to talk about things sometimes, but it’s also nice to know you can if you want to.’”
For Brian’s activities are co-produced with service users, some of whom now take an active role as directors. Clare says, “These are seldom-heard voices. If you take the trouble to meet people where they are, ask what’s important to them and do something about that, it’s therapeutically very powerful. It helps them to feel more in control of something in their life.”
Positive Spin
For Brian’s Positive Spin project brings people together to cycle, walk and socialise. Many of the attendees have dementia or another disability, such as cerebral palsy. People sometimes bring food to share and Clare is planning to organise picnics in the warmer months.
She explains, “We go to Bikeworks’ All Ability Cycling Hub, where there are different kinds of non-standard cycles to try or you can just walk around the park. We fund Cycle Connect, a four-person cycle taxi, to pick people up from their homes if they can’t walk there.
“One man was in a wheelchair and couldn’t stand, but we got him on a recumbent bike and he was cycling around independently. As one of our patrons says, ‘When I get on a bicycle, I leave my dementia monster at home.’
“Lots of people with dementia are very mobile, and they need to move around to help deal with the anxiety they’re feeling. The rest of life seems very strange, but there may be a familiarity about being on a cycle; it’s a procedural memory exercise, which can be a great tool for rehabilitation and wellbeing.
“At the same time, trying something a bit different is good for your brain and good for your body, and unless you keep moving, you stop being able to move.”
Enriching the outdoor space at Rosewood Square
Rosewood Square is a sheltered housing scheme on the border between Old Oak and East Acton. For the last few months, Clare and her team have been working to transform the scheme’s outdoor space. Clare shares, “We’ve been growing wildflowers from seed, we’ve got a little micro pond, and we’ve just got a bird bath.
“The residents are really excited. Several of them have dementia. While they can’t do the heavy work, they’re involved in all of the decisions about what we do.”
For Brian initiated coffee mornings at Rosewood Square, where activities are planned and scheduled, including regular parties with the residents.
Hammersmith United Charities’ grant
We provided For Brian with its first grant and have supported the CIC with more funding over the years, including £15,000 in our July 2025 grants round. Clare has put some of the money towards maintaining the garden at Rosewood Square and running the all-ability cycling group.
Get involved
If you want to take part in Positive Spin or another of For Brian’s dementia-inclusive activities, visit www.forbrian.co, contact the CIC or turn up at Old Oak Family Hub on a Friday morning at 10am and introduce yourself.
