A Barnsley charity which supports people living with dementia, their carers and socially isolated people has secured funding to relaunch its weekly tea dances.

Butterflies Dementia Support and Activities Group (BDSAG) received £1,000 through the Persimmon Homes Community Champions scheme.

The team of volunteers are keen to reintroduce tea dances to the 150 people they support, as life slowly returns to normality.

Julie Brown, founder of BDSAG, said: "The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on our services, and we quickly had to adapt our offering to care for the wellbeing of the individuals we support.   

“We are delighted to be starting our tea dances again. We run three sessions a week and they are very popular. Singing and dancing is a perfect activity for people living with dementia and the opportunities to be with other likeminded people is also beneficial for their carers.”

Persimmon Homes South Yorkshire makes two donations of up to £1,000 every month to grassroots groups and charities across the region.

Richard Hosie, managing director of Persimmon Homes South Yorkshire, said: “Community Champions has allowed us to support dozens of good causes and we continue to encourage other such groups to apply – as next month they could be the fortunate beneficiaries.”

In addition to the Persimmon Homes’ Community Champions scheme, the housebuilder has launched its Building Futures initiative which supports groups working with under-18s. The scheme will make grants to projects across education & arts, health and sport, with the potential of a £100,000 prize giveaway.

Applications for the Persimmon Homes Community Champions or Building Futures schemes can be made at www.persimmonhomes.com/charity