A NEW dementia campaign is being launched with a celebrity-filled advertisement featuring an iconic Beatles track.

Public Health England and leading dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society have joined forces in a major movement to get people in the region to tackle one of the nation’s biggest health issues.

The Dementia Friends initiative aims to mobilise large swathes of society to enable people with the condition to live well.

It is estimated that more than 32,000 people are living with dementia across Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire.

This week sees the launch of a Dementia Friends television ad, in which stars like Lily Allen, Sir Terry Pratchett and Simon Pegg perform the Beatles song, ‘With a Little Help From My Friends.’

Dr Shona Arora, centre director of the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Public Health England Centre said people could live well with dementia.

She explained: “Becoming a Dementia Friend involves finding out more about what dementia is, and the small things they can do to make a big difference to a person living with the condition.”

Bristolian Pat Mitchell, whose husband Cliff has dementia, said the more people who understood the condition, the better.

“We have always been very open with everyone about Cliff’s dementia which makes it easier when we meet new people,” she said. “We haven’t experienced much stigma ourselves but do know that some people are afraid of talking about dementia.”