When I was invited to speak about dementia to a group of Year 6 pupils at a school in my area, I was delighted to accept. This was an opportunity to offer a group of almost 60 children, aged ten and eleven, some insight into a subject which is still such a mystery to so many adults.

I had an hour. What would you teach those children in an hour? What I knew for certain was that I wanted them to discover some ways in which they could help people living with dementia – and to do that, they had to first understand what it was that those people might need help with.

From the outset, those children listened, participated and tried their absolute best to learn as much as they could. Every single child had a go at every activity so that, by the end, they felt confident that they could engage well with people living with dementia and could even support them in, for example, drinking plenty, or joining in with musical activities.

For me, the most uplifting moment came at the end, when I asked a question along the lines of: People living with dementia can’t change their dementia, but who can change their lives for the better? As far as I could see, every child in that room responded: WE CAN!

Congratulations again to the fabulous pupils of Year 6 at Menston Primary School. I invited them to go out and teach others what they now knew – and I truly believe they will.

If we can give the next generation insight into dementia, plus skills to help support people living with it, so many lives will be happier.