This month, the Dementia Cafe’s treasurer answers some FAQ’s of yours, (our readers) notably the burning question: Why hasn’t the cafe been built yet?…
Hi I’m Michel Zimmermann and with a background in banking & I.T, I am the appointed treasurer for the Dementia Cafe. I handle all of the accounts for the charity. I’ll be answering some of the community’s questions here…
The Dementia Cafe turned one this month, why isn’t the cafe built yet? Will it be built in 2016?
It does take time to raise funds. The first hurdle is reaching the first £5K, as trivial as it sounds, this will be the hardest goal to reach, after that, the DC will be a registered charity and a new world of funding can be accessed. The aim is still to begin the build in 2016. This depends on donations, funding and willingness of those who want it. Regardless of whether we are successful this year, it will be built and to that end we remain dedicated.
How much money has the charity raised so far?
Emily started the Dementia Cafe from scratch. She had no funding, no companies behind her and no seed funding like a start-up might. The DC is often compared to the Alzheimer’s Society, they began in 1979 with 2 founders. It’s 37 years old. The DC has just turned 1. Much like the Alz’ Society, we also haven’t published the information of our accounts. We are below the £5K threshold that we need to become a registered UK charity.
How much does the charity need to build the cafe?
After a troubled start with a builder who estimated wrongly the cost of the build, an experienced architectural company has now based the build at an estimate of £100,000. With the first £5,000 the DC can register as a UK charity. This will open doors for the DC.
How can the Dementia Cafe raise £100,000 that seems like a lot of money?
I have watched Emily the founder over the past year, working full time on the DC as well as full time in her own job. She rarely has a day off. Her goal for the year was to enhance social media awareness of the charity. Today, with over six thousand followers, I think she has achieved that. The Houses of Parliament contacting her to invite the DC to take part in a House of Commons debate is testament to the fact that she has spread the word. Over the last year Emily has held giveaways, been in radio interviews, run three 5K races for the DC, held numerous stalls, collected money door-to-door and much more. How can the DC raise £100,000? I would say, it’s not just 1 woman that it takes to build a Dementia Cafe, it takes a village. Many of you have donated and we thank you greatly for that. This month we ask each of you personally, to take part in our bake sale event (details towards the end of this post here) and host a bake sale of your own in order to raise much needed funds for the DC. Invite friends and neighbours for tea and cake and ask them to donate for their cake! If you are interested in taking part in our bake sale, please contact us at info@dementiacafe.co.uk or at our HQ address to receive your bake sale kit / look out for posters coming to TLS soon! Thank you.
DC HQ Address: Davenport House, 16 Pepper Street, Office 2:10, Canary Wharf, London, E14 9RP.
-With special thanks to the DC treasurer for taking the time to participate in our interview for the TLS Magazine.
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