A vintage garden party for Alzheimer’s

The annual vintage garden party for the Cavan Branch of the Alzheimer Society will take place tomorrow (Sunday), June 1 .

Nan, who organises the event along with her husband Joe, was ironing table cloths in preparation for the day when the Celt called.

She was trying to get as much prep done as possible before the day, which will see her baking and serving from 2pm until 10pm that night, with the chats often going on until after that.

Scones, carrot cake, banana bread and all sorts of traybakes have been served in the past, and Nan’s home-baked goodies are expected to impress once again this year. Tea and coffee will be served in her beloved China cups, which come out once a year for the occasion.

“People can expect lots of lovely home bakes anyhow and that’s a definite,” she told the Celt.

Weather depending, they hope to put tables and chairs out in the lawn, with vintage music in the background to create the perfect atmosphere for people to chat.

“Twenty years ago, my mother died of Alzheimer’s,” Nan explained, describing how the Alzheimer’s Tea Day was coming up and she thought it would be a nice idea use her love of baking to host something at her own home.

“It snowballed from there; I have it every year since.”

Over the years, Nan estimates that they have raised around €30,000 for the Cavan branch of the Alzheimer Society.

“It’s open to anybody, generally we have all the neighbours and we would have quite a few people who are carers or has somebody in their family who has or had Alzheimer’s.

“It’s just a place for everybody to come and chat,” she said, adding that “people can sit and talk as long as they like”.

The vintage garden party will take place this Sunday (June 1) from 2pm until 10pm at their home in New Inns (A82YX71).

Donations on the day are voluntary. Nan encouraged people to come along, have a cup of tea and a chat to help raise funds for the Cavan Branch of the Alzheimer Society.