A partnership between a Sheffield based Innovation team working with people with Dementia from African and African Caribbean communities, The Dementia Trust, a Charity registered in Scotland and funding innovative projects across the UK, and award-winning documentary maker John Duncan has aligned to make dreams come true for a woman living with dementia, whose UK journey started in Stirling.

Barbados to Stirling, Scotland

In 1955, during a time of labour shortages in the UK, two young women from Barbados embarked on a journey that would change their lives. Lottie Bynoe and Muriel Best were recruited to work in Stirling, Scotland, at the Kings Hotel and Allan Park Hotel, respectively. Now, almost 70 years later, Muriel Best will return to Stirling, supported by the Sheffield Memory Hub and the Dementia Trust, to fulfil a lifelong dream.

Muriel arrived in Stirling in early 1956, joining the Allan Park Hotel staff as a chambermaid. Working alongside Margaret, another chambermaid, and Mrs. Little, the cook, Muriel quickly adapted to her new surroundings. The Gillespie family, who owned the hotel, became an integral part of her story, even providing her with a surprise 21st birthday celebration.

A move south to Sheffield

Muriel eventually left Stirling to travel South to Sheffield, for a job with larger wages. A move that Muriel immediately regretted and unfortunately was not able to return to work in Stirling. Despite her initial dislike for Sheffield, Muriel made a life for herself there, working in the canteen at Sheffield’s Fir Vale Hospital (previously the Workhouse) and later as an auxiliary nurse at the Northern General. Now, living with dementia, Muriel is an active member and strong advocate within SADACCA’s Women Group and local dementia support groups. Her story is a testament to resilience and the enduring connections between people and places.

Muriel’s return to Stirling, planned for June 11, 2024, will be a four-day journey filled with meaningful events. She will stay at the Allan Park Hotel as a VIP guest, meet with the local ‘Town Break Dementia Support Group,’ where the choir has prepared some of her favourite gospel songs, here she will co-facilitate a session focusing on the Scottish-Barbadian cultural and historical links. Her visit will also include a meal at the Green Gates Indian Restaurant, formerly the Kings Hotel, the new Stirling open-top bus tour, and a nostalgic tour of Edinburgh, revisiting the coach journeys she took with Lottie.

“We are aiming to provide a valuable resource, highlighting the positive aspects of living well with dementia, especially for African Caribbean and African communities. Mrs Richards (nee Best) story is compelling, but not unique, more and more people are living with dementia. If we all spend some time understanding how to engage in a culturally meaningful way, it will make progress happen”

—Carl Case, Director CAR.

This special trip is primarily funded by the Dementia Trust and led by Carl Case whose organisation, Cultural Appropriate Resources (CAR) works internationally to make a difference to people with dementia from African and African Caribbean communities and he is producing this short film that will explore Muriel’s life, her experiences living with dementia, and the historical connections between Scotland and Barbados.

As a woman of strong Christian faith, Muriel looks forward to attending the Park Church All Age Friendship group in Stirling and is most excited about reuniting with former colleagues and friends from both the Allan Park and Kings Hotel, sharing laughs, memories, and stories from the past.

For almost forty years, the Dementia Trust, has been supporting small projects, like this one, that make a big difference to those living with Dementia and help to make change happen by influencing policymakers and practitioners.

—Sandra McDonald, Chair for the Dementia Trust

Keep up to date on this story

We will be sharing more about Mrs Richard’s return to Scotland during the filming next week. Keep up to date with the story on our social media channels.

Photography used in this post kindly provided by Muriel Richards and Carl Case.