TWIG – giving international support to The Red Shed

This month we have had the privilage of being nominated as a Charity for the year for Toulouse Womens International Group aka TWIG.

Toulouse Women’s International Group (TWIG) aims to provide a diverse range of social, cultural, and sporting activities for its members of women living in and around Toulouse. They run several regular activities from Gardening to Creative Writing and through these groups foster friendships and support for members.

They raise money – particularly at their annual Christmas Fair – and donate to 3 different Charities each year. The Charities can be based in France or the UK.

Dementia affects people world wide and France has a similar statistics to the UK. During our presentation at the TWIG AGM, many hands were raised when the question was asked – ‘how many of you know someone who has dementia?’. Having lived experience of the disease was a major factor for the amount of votes The Red Shed received. Our Garden Clubs and Carers Cafe are always recognised as valuable servcies but it was also our commitment to research that spoke to some of the members. One person told us that hearing about the research meant that work was being done that may have positive effects in the future as well as our day to day provision.

So – The Red Shed has gone international! What an exciting connection to make!

Just as a footnote – we were nominated by a family member of one of our team. They live in Toulouse and are a member of TWIG. The chance for our CEO to present in person at the AGM was fitted into a weekend trip to catchup with family and relax in some French Spring sunshine!