Pupils at St. Mary's College have successfully turned Irvinestown into a "dementia friendly town".

The school's intergenerational town project in partnership with Irvinestown Community Partnership and Alzheimer’s Society aimed to encourage shop assistants to wear name badges.

Students distributed 146 badges before Christmas as a follow-up to a dementia friendly workshop held in the town in 2018.

In a letter to local business owners, Principal of St. Mary's College Anne Flanagan, said students were "met with great enthusiasm from all the shopkeepers we approached".

"By shop assistants wearing name badges it makes life so much easier for those whose memory is fading a little and makes shopping an enjoyable experience for everyone. Our students have learnt a lot in this intergenerational project and with the help of our local Alzheimer’s officer have learnt more about dementia," she wrote.

Former St. Mary's teacher Breege McCusker, whose husband Seamus was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Vascular dementia four and a half years ago, praised the students.

"As an ex- Mary's teacher I am so proud of Year 10 and Ms Flanagan, principal of St Mary's, who threw themselves into this project. And it wasn't just about dementia . It was to empower local businesses in Irvinestown to be supportive to all customers - be it obvious or hidden disabilities or simply some of us having a bad day.

"Seamus has continued to be an advocate to make life better for those who have the disease. Every little helps to aid memory loss. One of his aims was to encourage shop assistants in the town to wear name badges and as he said "it was a no brainer" for those with memory loss," she said.

The project aimed to make routine shopping a more meaningful and a personal experience for those with dementia by engaging with shop assistants who have name badges prominently displayed and to be aware that many in our community have difficulty in recalling names of shop assistants they interact with daily.