The train will be the first ‘dementia-friendly’ music event of its kind in East Anglia and will be held on the Witham to Braintree service.

The special journey is free for those with dementia and their carers and will be held on the 7th of December on the 1.30pm Witham to Braintree service and will see live music provided by a saxophonist during the journey.

Once the special train arrives at Braintree, a visit to Braintree Town Hall will take place where there will also be refreshments and Christmas cake.

There are 40 tickets available for the event with further information available here:

https://www.esscrp.org.uk/events/dementia-friendly-music-train/

The complimentary event has been organised by Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (CRP), Braintree District Council and has been supported by rail operator, Greater Anglia.

A partnership between Greater Anglia, Essex and South Suffolk CRP, Braintree District Council and the Alzheimers Society during 2020 saw Braintree station become the first ‘Dementia Friendly’ station in Essex.

Around 20,000 people in Essex are thought to be living with dementia, with this figure set to rise to more than 25,000 over the next 10 years.

June Povey, Community Rail Officer for the Essex and South Suffolk CRP, and in training to become a Dementia Champion, said,

“It’s so important that the railway is accessible and inclusive and we are pleased to be able to offer a supported event to help those living with dementia and their carers enjoy an independent, fun day out. We hope that this will also help to build confidence about travelling by train in the future.”

Rebecca Richardson, Greater Anglia’s Accessibility Manager, said:

“It’s important to us that the railway in East Anglia is accessible to everyone, including those living with dementia and other hidden disabilities. So we are pleased to have worked with the Essex and South Suffolk CRP to facilitate this event designed to help make rail travel accessible to more people.”

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