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A Scottish dementia project had a welcome birthday surprise when it won an award at this year's Community Care awards. Alison Miller reports.

It's party time for the Thomson Court Dementia Project, and it has a lot to celebrate. The project's eighth birthday was on 22 November, and the team returned from Community Care's award ceremony with a cheque for £4,000 after winning the mental health category in recognition of the work they do for dementia sufferers in the community.

Elma Fisher is unit manager at the project, which is based on the western island of Bute, Scotland. One in five of Bute's population is over-65, and the island is a favourite retirement spot for people from Glasgow and Paisley, and many people have no family support network. "The project is very important to the local community and we are proud of the service we provide," she says.

Funding comes from Argyll & Bute Council and a specific mental illness grant from the Scottish Office. In addition to Fisher there is a staff of six full-time care workers.

Fisher says that, despite the fact that the nearest psycho-geriatric provision is more than 90 miles away, there was initially a reluctance to use the service. So raising awareness about Thomson Court was, to begin with, a key task for staff who spent a lot of time going out giving presentations and talking to community groups.

Thomson Court is housed in a residential home that specialises in caring for people with dementia. They have access to two full-time beds, two respite beds and 60 day centre places.

Users and carers have been integral to the planning process from the outset. This ethos has continued as the project has grown - for example, service users were able to choose the colour scheme, carpeting and the soft furnishings during a recent extension.

Outreach is an important part of their work, and Fisher says they are keen to develop this work. "We are looking at extending our outreach on a one-to-one basis, and establishing a visiting service where we can visit people in their own homes." This is already in action in the project's meals-on-wheels service, which visits clients in the evenings and sits with them while they eat their meal.

The project is proud of its innovative approach to helping service users, and the list of services it provides is impressive. There is a reminiscence room with a 1940s parlour, a relaxation room, a sensory garden, a community laundry service, a bathing service and a 24-hour carers' helpline.

Residents can also take advantage of aromatherapy, crystal therapy and pet therapy - dogs belonging to staff come to work with their owners and rabbits and birds are also resident at Thomson Court. And there is a thriving carers' support group that meets every four-to-six weeks.

Next year Fisher says they plan to build a camomile sofa in the sensory garden. They also plan to convert an existing patio area into a large all-weather conservatory with an area where staff and residents can grow seedlings to be planted in the sensory garden, and which can be used for functions.

"We have just introduced tai chi for staff stress management, but we are talking to the instructor about modifying the sessions and running them for service users in the new year," she says.

Thomson Court is using its award money to buy a high-performance internet-ready multimedia computer. It hopes that the e-mail and web-cam facilities this provides will help to keep service users in touch with family members living far afield. It will also be used for art, games and reminiscence and to give staff and clients the opportunity to find out more about dementia care.

They are all on a high after their success: "It was fantastic. We had front-page coverage in the local paper and we have had lots of congratulation cards from other services on the island and from families we have worked with. We always knew we had something special. To win was just fabulous," Fisher says.

- For more information, contact Elma Fisher, Thomson Court Dementia Project, Dalriada House, Lochgilphead, Argyll, PA20 9JH. Telephone: 01700 503166. The mental health category was sponsored by Personnel & Care Bank.