A SERVICE which supports dementia sufferers and their carers has been saved after fundraisers dug deep.

The Memory Cafe, at the George Hurd Centre, in Audley Way, Basildon, was under threat of closure after its start-up money ran out.

Tracy Gooden, 52, launched the service in February with the help of her employers, Fern Street Settlement Charity, based in east London, but had only enough funding to continue until the end of this month.

After hearing about the plight of the Memory Cafe, Bobbie Lee Rogers, 22, of Whitmore Way, Basildon, whose grandad, Alan, was diagnosed with dementia in early 2014, launched a crowdfunding campaign.

It has now smashed its £1,000 target, with Mrs Gooden predicting the Memory Cafe has enough cash to keep going until at least the end of the year.

She said: “Thanks to Bobbie’s efforts and determination, and all our great donors, with careful planning we now have enough funds to continue with our activities for many months.

“Bobbie has also inspired others to get their fundraising hats on, and I know of other events that are in the planning stages to raise money for us. I am so proud of what she has achieved in such a short space of time.” Before Bobbie’s 68-year-old grandad started visiting the cafe, he would often storm out of his house and go missing.

Bobbie said: “Since he has been attending the cafe with my nan every Friday afternoon, we have all noticed small changes in his personality and behaviour, how he was before being diagnosed.

He may kick up a fuss about having to go out, but the minute he walks through that door at the George Hurd Centre he is at ease and visibly relaxes.

“It has provided him and my nan with a safe and friendly environment, offering a relaxed, yet mind-stimulating, afternoon.

“I am just thankful for Tracy and the cafe, as without this afternoon once a week I dread to think what could have been.

“This is why fundraising was so important to me.

“I find it very difficult to accept I can’t do anything to help him, so ensuring that this cafe stays open for as long as possible, knowing that the company, activities, quizzes, music and art are helping him and other attendees at the cafe a great deal, is very assuring.”

With help from Basildon, Billericay and Wickford Council For Voluntary Services, Mrs Gooden is now in the process of registering the Memory Cafe as an unincorporated association, which would open up other funding opportunities.