Everyone has the right to feel understood and valued within the community, which is why a group of passionate volunteers are determined to make a town dementia friendly.

Bucky Doo Square in Bridport will turn blue on Saturday to mark the start of Dementia Action Week.

The awareness week will take place between Monday, May 21 and Sunday, May 27.

Organiser Dementia Friendly Bridport, a new group formed beneath the umbrella of the Alzheimer's Society, is working with local businesses, churches and schools to promote a greater understanding and awareness of dementia and how it affects people.

The group of volunteers will take to Bucky Doo to yarn bomb the square - covering it with strings of decorative knitted artwork - and will be on hand to offer advice and information for the day. There will be reams of woollen bunting and flowers wrapped around every available surface to create a blue space to represent the Alzheimer's Society's Forget-Me-Not blue motif .The town hall clock will also turn blue for the duration of Dementia Action Week and the group will host a stall promoting its aims and the local issues it is working on at present.

All are welcome to attend and to have a chat with volunteers about how Bridport can become truly 'dementia friendly'.

Group chairman, Debra Bates, said: "There has been a real community effort knitting bunting which will turn the town blue. At Bucky Doo you will be able to meet with members from Bridport's Dementia Friendly Town steering group and find out the small ways in which you can help to support those living with dementia in your community."

There are currently 850,000 people living with dementia in England. Dementia Friendly Bridport hopes that by getting the town on board with making 'simple' changes, it will make a huge difference to those in the area affected by the condition.

Debra said: "We want people to come along and tell us what can be done to help and what the people of Bridport need. We would like to hear from people with dementia and their carers. So far, we've got lots ideas but we all need to work together to put dementia to the fore.

"Bridport as a town that embraces a lot. It's a very caring town, and dementia is something we are all going to be living, whether ourselves or someone we know, and there are things we can all do to help people live well."

To mark the end of Dementia Action Week, the Arts Centre will host a Dementia Friends information session between 10 and 11am on Friday, May 25. It aims to give people a greater understanding of dementia and the small things that can be done to make a difference.

Having volunteered to be a Dementia Friends Champion, Megan Dunford, participation and exhibitions officer at the centre, said: "I signed up to be a Dementia Friends Champion because I know there are people with dementia living our community who need more support. I’m now proud to be part of a growing network of people creating dementia-friendly communities together."

The session is free and open to all.

For more information and to book, call 01308 424204 or email participation@bridport-arts.com

Debra added: "Please do come along and support this very important cause. Help make Bucky Doo truly spectacular on May 19 and go along for an information session at the Arts Centre on May 25. We can all make a difference."