About - Butterflies

Butterflies Memory Loss Support Group was founded in 2010

Butterflies Memory Loss Support Group was set up by June Cooke in 2010 after her father, George, was diagnosed with dementia in 2008.

She found there were services and support available for the individual diagnosed with the condition, but very little for their families and those closest to them and limited access to groups which welcomed both.

June was already heavily involved with the King’s Fund Project in Hull, which was set up to enhance the healing environment within the Hull Memory Clinic, which now hosts the memory assessment service for Hull and the East Riding.

Having gained a greater knowledge of dementia during her time with the project, she took the step to establish Butterflies.

The group has continued to grow and currently has around 150 members

They enjoy monthly social gatherings where those attending are able to join in with a variety of activities of their choosing, are active in many community events, go on day trips and visits. We offer support to the whole family and support for them and their families.

We started small with one monthly session held in East Hull, but over the years we have grown and now hold weekly luncheon club for gentlemen, their carers come along too and have lunch with other carers gaining valuable peer support and training from out team; in addition to other monthly groups held across Hull and East Riding. Periodically Butterflies provides workshops for carers to help them develop ways of coping with the challenges they face.

We host the bi-monthly Dementia Voice and Influence Forum where people living with dementia are invited along to share their experiences of the services they receive, good and bad, and given an opportunity to feed back to those providing the services. This is not just services from statutory organisations, but a chance acknowledge the great work being done in our communities to make life easier for those families living with dementia.

Call us on 01482 205755 or email [email protected] to find out more

Meet the Team

June Cooke - CEO/Facilitator

Sara Stephenson – Fundraising Coordinator

Yvonne Mainprize- Volunteer Coordinator

Eleanor Pulford – Activities Co-ordinator

Madge Stokell – Dementia Support Worker

Val Wood - Our Patron

Jamie McKenna - Our Patron

June Cooke - CEO/Facilitator

June left school at 18 and trained at Hull College in fashion and design, where she gained a City and Guilds qualification to advanced level. After 12 years working for Hull Health Authority, she eventually started her own dressmaking business from home, concentrating mainly on theatrical costumes. This is work she still enjoys but has reduced the amount of time she spends sewing due to commitments elsewhere.

After her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2008/09, the focus of June’s life changed dramatically. She had the support of her partner, Roger, which gave her the opportunity to support her parents as her dad’s disease progressed. After initially starting one monthly group, the Butterflies group has gone from strength to strength, in addition to offering social groups through Butterflies, June’s passion lies in working to improve the experience of those families living with dementia through the services they receive and the community they live in.

In her spare time, June enjoys time sewing, meeting friends and holiday in the sun.

Sara Stephenson – Fundraising Coordinator

I left school aged 16 and then went into further education studying Health & Social Care at Hull College. During this time I worked in residential nursing homes and also in a nursery and primary schools as a classroom assistant.  After college I went into agency work and tried my hand at various jobs, including cleaning offices and packing salads! I also worked part-time in a takeaway shop.

I met my lovely husband & best friend in 1995 then shortly after I became a stay-at-home mam.  Although I do love been a wife and a mam, I decided I wanted something that was just for me. So, I decided I would try and build my own confidence and self-esteem by volunteering.

I started as a volunteer with Butterflies in May 2016 where I quickly found my footings and realised this is exactly what I needed to be doing, I am now Fundraising Coordinator.  Working as part of a dedicated team that gives so much to those who Butterflies offer their support to is an honour.

Yvonne Mainprize- Volunteer Coordinator

After leaving school, Yvonne went to college to gain her N.N.E.B certificate in nursery nursing before going on to work in pre-school nurseries prior to the birth of her first child. She then left work to become a full time mum and went on to have a further three children.
After 20 years at home, Yvonne decided she wanted to do some voluntary work to gain confidence and help her back to work, so she volunteered for the Butterflies and is now volunteer coordinator.

Yvonne is delighted to be part of a team supporting people who are doing all they can to live well with dementia and the challenges they face.

Her confidence has grown since she joined the group and she is now furthering her education, studying for a degree in social and behavioural studies part time.

Eleanor Pulford – Activities Co-ordinator

Eleanor first became involved with Butterflies whilst completing her GCSE Health and Social Care coursework in 2015. When Eleanor and June met, June provided insight into the work that Butterflies did and the support they provided to people, and why this kind of provision was needed. This led to valuable discussions and allowed Eleanor to complete her coursework on the boundaries that people face when trying to access different services.

Eleanor later volunteered at Butterflies in 2016 and 2017 during her college summer holidays and found the work to be extremely fulfilling and rewarding.

Eleanor went on to study at university, where she graduated with a first-class psychology degree in 2021. She then returned to Butterflies in 2022 to take on the role of Activities Coordinator and is using her experience of research at university to influence many of the activities that are now taking place. She is overjoyed to be working with a team of such hard-working, dedicated and caring people.

In her spare time, Eleanor enjoys concerts and musical theatre.

Madge Stokell – Dementia Support Worker

Hi, I am Madge, Scottish at birth, I first got involved with butterflies in 2015 when my husband had dementia and we came to the Men’s Luncheon group Which we both enjoyed and got a lot from.

Gaining friends and knowledge and having a moan and a laugh with the ladies group, knowing that Michael was well looked after with the men who became his friends, by lovely staff and volunteers.

After Michael’s passing I continued going to the ladies group for a year, then decided I would like to volunteer and give something back, Ispoke to June and Yvonne got training and enjoyed working at the Luncheon Club. After four years of volunteering, I was asked to join the staff as a dementia support worker. I have been doing since 2021 and thoroughly enjoy it gaining vital insight and experience, continuing with regular training along the way.

I have grown in confidence all thanks to my lovely butterflies family. I have two daughters from a previous marriage, a son in law and a wonderful granddaughter, who all live locally.

Val Wood - Our Patron

I first met June Cooke at the Hull Memory Loss Clinic which my husband Peter and I had visited in an attempt to gain some support for Peter who had developed dementia. We were then living in rural Holderness and although the nursing community did what they could to offer help or assistance, there were too few of them to attend the growing numbers of dementia patients or to give much needed advice to the carers; most of them who were home based, as I was and wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible, even though life could often be exhausting.

In 2008 Peter and I celebrated our 50th Golden wedding anniversary in time honoured way with friends and family. Exactly one year later Peter died and I was so grateful for that extra year. He had enjoyed that wonderful day and that was what was so important, making the most of life. Hearing of June setting up the Butterflies charity in memory of her father, giving love, laughter and care to those who develop dementia and to those who also care for them; I was drawn to that selfless commitment and wanted to be part of it, even if in name only.

Val Wood, formerly published as Valerie Wood is the award winning author of romantic historical novels set in and around Hull and the East Riding.

Val was born in Castleford but now lives in Beverley. She has written 30 novels, all set in and around Hull and the East Riding. Her first novel, The Hungry Tide, published in 1993 won the Catherine Cookson Prize for Romantic Fiction.

Val has been a passionate supporter of Butterflies and has been our patron since we gained charitable status in 2015. She holds the position of Vice President at Sight Support (Hull & East Yorkshire) and is also patron of Home Start.

Jamie McKenna - Our Patron

Jamie who is probably best known for his role as Phill Whittaker, Fiz Strape’s love interest on Coronation Street, is a close friend of June, the founder of the charity has always been a supporter of Butterflies but has recently taken on a new kind of role as one of its patrons.

Dementia is something very real that affects us all either directly or indirectly at some point in our lives. My step father is currently living with dementia, and I have had other family members and friends deeply impacted by this illness. Therefore the work that Butterflies are doing in empowering people with Dementia is not only amazing and admirable, it is essential. To be asked to lend my support in anyway I can and to be a patron to this amazing charity was an honour and one I absolutely couldn’t refuse. Please help me get behind this organisation and raise awareness for all the phenomenal work they do.