Groundbreaking newsroom launches, staffed by people living with dementia
Date added: 10 December 2025
Last updated: 10 December 2025
People living with dementia are being trained as journalists in a first-of-its-kind creative news initiative, Bright Times.
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust is temporarily transforming its boardroom at St Martin’s Hospital in Canterbury into a vibrant newsroom for the publication, which aims to challenge stereotypes about life with dementia, producing meaningful stories and offering practical guidance to people living with and affected by dementia, from people experiencing it first hand.
Run by Kent-based dementia arts charity Bright Shadow, in partnership with Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, Bright Times is supported by the Age UK Innovation Fund. The new monthly publication empowers people with dementia to share their own stories, offering honest insight, practical guidance and creative perspectives drawn directly from lived experience. The first edition will be published in February 2026.
Dr Elizabeth Field, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Lead for Psychological Practice at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, said: “By placing leadership firmly in the hands of people living with dementia, Bright Times has the potential to shift perceptions and influence how communities and services approach dementia. It brings creativity and real-world perspectives into the heart of how we communicate about dementia.”
A team of ten people with dementia will lead the development of Bright Times, working alongside professional journalists, photographers and artists. This collaborative approach ensures that those most affected by dementia are shaping the narrative, rather than being spoken for.
The project responds to a growing need for a shift in how society understands dementia. Insights from Bright Shadow’s recent Open Forums revealed that many people find it difficult to navigate dementia services and that people with dementia themselves are often best placed to guide others through that journey.
"Bright Times challenges so many of society's misconceptions about dementia,” said Gill Ashington, who serves on Bright Shadow's inclusive board of trustees, having received a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia at 48. “It's different from anything else. It appreciates the value of peer support and the ability of people with dementia to learn new skills, giving us a voice. Instead of feeling finished or doomed, it offers hope and purpose."
The publication will feature personal stories, practical tips and creative ideas for living well with dementia. Distributed locally and online, Bright Times will be available in cafés, shops, hospitals and GP surgeries across East Kent.
Bright Times aims not only to celebrate the voices of people living with dementia but to make practical information easier to find, ensuring that no one feels they have to navigate dementia alone.
