Dementia UK gets celebs involved in Time for a Cuppa campaign

Five celebrities have given their support to Dementia UK's Time for a Cuppa initiative, by posing in re-creations of famous tea-centric scenes from movie history.

Due to run from March 1st to 8th, the campaign encourages friends, families and work colleagues to get together and host a tea party. The funds raised will go towards providing specialist dementia support for charities through Dementia UK's admiral nurse service.

Admiral nurses provide specialist dementia support to people living with the condition and their families, offering one-to-one help, expert guidance and practical solutions.

Celebrity backing

All of the well-known figures supporting the Time for a Cuppa project have been affected by dementia in some way.

EastEnders actress Emma Barton, whose great uncle passed away after a battle with dementia, chose to recreate a scene from the 1961 classic Breakfast at Tiffany's, posing as the character Holly Golightly, originally played by Audrey Hepburn.

She commented: "Not only do I get to dress up as my hero, Audrey, but the campaign will help to raise vital funds for Dementia UK and show all affected with dementia how incredible our admiral nurses are."

Emma encouraged anyone keen to contribute to efforts to help people with dementia to take part in the campaign.

Also involved is Phyllis Logan, who plays Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey and also acts as an ambassador for Dementia UK. She chose to feature in the promotion as Mary Poppins.

DJ and record producer Shahid Khan, AKA Naughty Boy, dressed as Jay Gatsby, the title character from the 1925 literary classic The Great Gatsby, who was played in film adaptations by Robert Redford and Leonardo DiCaprio.

He said: "I wanted to get involved in Dementia UK's Time for a Cuppa campaign as soon as I heard about it. My mum is living with dementia, so I'm eager to use my own experience to help people to better understand the condition and how it can be managed."

The final two celebrities lending their support to the initiative are The Only Way is Essex stars Jess Wright and her younger sister Natalya. Jess posed as Alice from the 1951 Disney movie Alice in Wonderland, recreating the famous Mad Hatter's tea party, while Natalya dressed as the Queen of Hearts from the same film.

They shared that they have a history of dementia in their family, so are reassured to know that there is specialist nursing care available to people living with the condition.

Natalya said: "[Dementia UK's] admiral nurses can have such a positive impact on people's lives when they are living with dementia, so we hope that our involvement will help to raise further awareness of the campaign."

Time for a Cuppa

Anyone interested in taking part in the Time for a Cuppa campaign can register for a free fundraising pack online.

While the official event will run from March 1st to 8th, people who want to participate by hosting a tea party of their own can do so at any time of the year.

All you have to do is arrange a date and location, invite some guests and sell some tea and cakes (either homemade or shop-bought) to raise money for donation to Dementia UK.

The funds will support the work of specialist admiral nurses, who operate in various settings, including care homes, hospitals, hospices and the community. They help people with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and other forms of the condition.