A CHARITY which helps people in Oxfordshire suffering with dementia has been awarded £25,000.

The Clive Project, set up in 1998, is one of 10 charities chosen out of 350 entrants from across the country to win a GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Award.

Run in partnership with the health charity The King’s Fund, the annual awards are designed to reward the work of small charities working to improve the health of their communities.

Tessa Gutteridge, director of The Clive Project, said: “It’s the perfect way to enter our second decade and a big pat on the back for our team.”

Ms Gutteridge, from Witney, said the money would go towards the charity’s plans to build permanent accommodation at Heathfield Village, near Bletchingdon, for staff and up to 25 people with dementia who needed full-time care or a short break away from home.

She said: “We have designs and planning permission and we are about to start a fundraising campaign. We will need to raise several million pounds, but we want to start building as soon as possible.”

The Clive Project, which will be formally acknowledged at a ceremony in London’s Science Museum on Thursday, is the only charity tailored to help the estimated 180-200 people aged in their 30s, 40s 50s and 60s in Oxfordshire with onset dementia.

It has 17 carers and four support staff who treat patients at their homes in Oxford and towns and villages across the county.

GlaxoSmithKline director Katie Pinnock said: “The impact of the work The Clive Project undertakes in terms of improving self-esteem, maintaining independence and reducing isolation cannot be underestimated.”

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the King’s Fund, added: “The work of The Clive Project is vital to younger dementia sufferers in Oxfordshire. It ensures many of the practical issues which are so hard to negotiate, such as finance and power of attorney, are handled effectively.”

At the ceremony in London next week, one of the 10 charities will be picked to receive an additional £10,000 in funding.

For further information about one-to-one and family support services, visit thecliveproject.org.uk tshepherd@oxfordmail.co.uk