Beavers help dementia sufferers

Aug 7

2 min read

Local dementia group enjoying the wildlife.

Beavers are proving beneficial in so many ways, especially to sufferers of dementia.

A beaver colony on a former dairy farm in Somerset is being hailed as a great help for a local dementia support group.

The group, called Wild Memories, is based around Frome and Bruton in Somerset.

It meets at the 460-acre site which was bought by the charity Heal Rewilding to return the land back to its natural state.

The beavers have dammed the tributaries of the River Frome, creating their own personalised pond.

They have also had five kits this year.

Heal Rewilding CEO Jan Stannard said: "We let the grasses grow up and we started to take surveys to find out everything from insect numbers, to birds and bats."

The beavers are a highlight for the dementia sufferers who regularly meet at the site to enjoy time outdoors among the sounds, sights and smells.

This, said the group, triggers a "beautiful nostalgia."

The site has gained a great deal of wildlife, with 94 species of birds having been informally recorded since 2023, including 21 red-listed and 28 amber-listed species.

Julia Galbenu, from Wild Memories, said the space also offered people a peaceful haven from everyday life.

She explained: "There's something very special about people living with dementia being able to be here."

"Actually being outdoors – the sounds, the smells, the sights – everything actually does trigger those long-term memories and it brings back all that beautiful nostalgia.

"Stories are shared and it feels like a really beautiful place where a little bit of healing gets to happen."

Such has been the success of the project, that plans for a similar rewilding in Yorkshire are afoot. The charity is aiming for one recovery site in every English county.

Apart from the benefits for humans, the charity believes such projects play a key role in tackling climate change.

They highlight the fact that healthy ecosystems can help store carbon, improve soil and water health.

They can also strengthen resilience to climate-related pressures like flooding, heat and drought.