South Devon´s
peer support group
for younger people
with a dementia
About us
The Young Ones is a peer support group for younger people with a diagnosis of dementia. It is based in South Devon and was set up by Tracey Aldridge and Lia Tucker.
The Young Ones originally came in to being when in 2021 Tracey and Lia, who at that time were working for the Alzheimer’s Society, established a pilot project. The purpose of the project was to find out what people with Young Onset of Dementia wanted and needed by way of support in the local area. This led to a peer support group being developed, which continues to meet on a monthly basis at Dawlish.
To secure the future of the group, Tracey and Lia took it on after they had left the Alzheimer’s Society and ran it on a voluntary basis. The group was named The Young Ones by one of our members. Tracey and Lia were joined by Becky Rowles who has assisted with the group and its development.
Between the three of us, we have over 85 years of work experience in health and social care. We have supported people with a diagnosis of dementia in a professional capacity as well as having personal experience of a dementia diagnosis within our families.
We therefore bring both our professional and personal experiences to supporting others. Sadly, due to her own caring commitments Tracey has had to step back from the group. We have been joined by Kathrine Bailey, who runs her own CIC Conversation Works, and provides Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) to people with dementia. Katie Blunsum has also joined us and she is an experienced support worker as well as having personal experience.
Funding has been provided by small grants from Devon County Council and we are always grateful for donations but the National Lottery awarded us a grant in 2025 to continue our work and we are very appreciative not only for their support but also for their acknowledgement of our work.
Values
Our groups are free of charge as we feel that
support needs to be freely available to those who need it. We create a supportive, safe space in which people can share their experiences and feelings in confidence.
We take a person centred approach and see the person and not the dementia. We aim to empower people to have a purpose and to feel they are a valued member of the community.
Meetings
We have two peer support groups meeting in Dawlish and Paignton. Both groups meet monthly for 2 hours. The Dawlish group meets on a Thursday at 11 am, and the Paignton group on Tuesdays at 2 pm. We also offer Carers' support but as it can be difficult for carers to have time to meet, this is being offered via telephone support.
What people say
“I come to the group because I find it very helpful. When I was first diagnosed I felt on my own but coming to the group makes me realise I’m not on my own and we all suffer with the same symptoms.”
“A dementia diagnosis was a very frightening situation for us. Joining this brilliant group of people meant we then felt that someone had got our back at all times, which was wonderful."
“We would be lost without the group as we are a group of people coming together to share our journey and to support each other through this devastating condition with our loved ones. WE ARE NOT ALONE”
“As a carer, I am new to everything about dementia and I have found going to the support group I am gaining so much knowledge and insight from listening to other people around me, as I want to do my best but don’t always get it right. Thank goodness for our support group it’s my lifeline too."