A Brent charity supporting people living with dementia and their family carers is hosting a special community celebration to recognise the strength and resilience of local families while calling on statutory services to properly invest in the unpaid carers keeping the social care system afloat.
Community Action on Dementia (CAD-Brent) will hold its annual Big Lunch on Thursday 3rd September, bringing together people living with dementia, family carers, volunteers, and supporters for an afternoon of food, entertainment, and solidarity. Funded by the Edward Harvist Fund, Brent, the event will take place at the Friendship Centre in Wembley.
Beyond the celebration, CAD-Brent is using the occasion to issue a clear message to policymakers: unpaid carers are performing a vital 24/7 role that saves the exchequer billions of pounds every year, yet they remain severely underfunded, underpaid, and under-supported by statutory services.
Across Brent and the UK, thousands of family members work valiantly around the clock to care for loved ones with dementia, often at severe personal, emotional, and financial cost. While charities like CAD-Brent are proud to step in and provide vital lifeline services, statutory bodies cannot continue to rely on the voluntary sector to plug the gaps left by inadequate public investment.
Danny Maher, Chair of Community Action on Dementia, said:
“Carers work valiantly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for their loved ones. They save the exchequer staggering amounts of money every single year, yet the powers that be routinely fail to recognise or properly support them. Many carers tell us they feel completely invisible, exhausted, and taken for granted by public services.
While CAD-Brent is proud and happy to do the work we do, it simply is not good enough that charities are left to carry this burden alone. Statutory services must step up, invest serious funding, and build real support infrastructure for these heroic individuals. Our Big Lunch is an opportunity to show carers that even if the system turns a blind eye, we see them, we value them, and we stand with them.”
The event, which is exclusively for members of the CAD-Brent community and invited guests, will feature:
A community lunch funded by the Edward Harvist Fund, Brent
A local talent showcase
Opportunities for carers and people living with dementia to connect, share experiences, and build supportive friendships.
Notes to Editors
Supported by funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, CAD-Brent provides peer support groups, dementia cafés, social activities, information, advice, and one-to-one support across the borough. As health and social care services face unprecedented pressures, the charity continues to call for structural change while providing a compassionate, welcoming community for those affected by dementia.
Media representatives are welcome to contact CAD-Brent for interviews, photos, and background information about the reality of unpaid caring and dementia support.
