A daily newspaper has launched a campaign to make the city it serves more dementia friendly.

The Glasgow Evening Times is aiming to raise awareness of families affected by dementia, with more than 4,500 currently living with dementia in the city.

Over the next 12 months the Evening Times will be sharing stories from the families affected, highlighting innovations in the treatment of dementia that are being developed in Glasgow and showcasing the community groups, volunteers and charities that help patients.

The campaign was launched on the paper’s front page last Wednesday.

Editor Graham Shields told HTFP: “Dementia is expected to be one of the biggest challenges we face as a society, and we wanted to do our bit to help people live better lives with the condition.

“Our call to action is for people to be more aware of those around them who may be coping with the stresses of dementia, and to come together as a community to support them.

“We aim to do this with a broad range of informative, uplifting, touching and sometimes heartbreaking stories.

“Just yesterday in Glasgow we had an 82-year-old man with dementia who went missing overnight, and he was found safe and well thanks to the actions of a concerned member of the public. That is exactly the kind of engagement we are encouraging and applauding.”

Last month the Teesdale Mercury declared itself a ‘dementia friendly’ newspaper after staff signed up to the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme, which aims to promote greater understanding of the illness.

And earlier this year Archant pledged to train 50 staff to become ‘dementia friends’ as parts of a campaign it is running with Age UK.