A KEIGHLEY councillor invited 400 people to a dementia awareness session but nobody turned up.

Cllr Jan Smithies was left shocked by the lack of response from residents of the Fell Lane area.

Cllr Smithies, who represents Keighley West Ward on Bradford Council, posted the invitations along with letters informing residents about her latest councillor’s surgery.

She now plans to hold an evening session in the same neighbourhood, and publicise it with posters.

She said this method had helped attract a healthy attendance at her recent afternoon and evening dementia awareness sessions in Laycock.

Cllr Smithies is one of several dementia champions who have received training as part of a campaign to make Keighley a Dementia Friendly Town.

She said: “It’s to raise awareness of dementia and what it is, and give people ideas of how to support people who have dementia.

“I don’t know why no one came. It’s quite a varied community, and there are a lot of older people there.”

Cllr Smithies said she expected attendance to grow at the Keighley sessions as more people wanted to know how they could help people suffering from dementia.

Cllr Smithies will hold her next dementia awareness session be at the Sue Belcher Centre, Bracken Bank Avenue, on January 16 from 10.30am and is asking more people to attend.

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