Update from The Filo Project

Welcome to our quarterly stakeholder newsletter, where we share key updates from our service and beyond. 

​In this issue, you'll find:

• Filo's visit to the Royal Garden Party
• Our recent feature on BBC News
• An update on our VAT campaign
• Tracey & Bill's story

We’d really value your thoughts - please do get in touch and let us know what you’d like to see in future updates.

Royal Garden Party
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Last month, our founders, Libby and Liz, had the honour of attending the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.

It was a wonderful recognition not only of their dedication and vision, but also of the impact The Filo Project continues to have in local communities. We’re incredibly proud to see Filo represented at such a prestigious event, and grateful to everyone who has been part of the journey since it began over 10 years ago.

Sadly, they didn’t manage to get a close look at the Royals themselves, but they confirmed that the cakes were certainly fit for a King.

BBC Feature

Did you catch us on BBC South Today on last month?

Our host Sharon and her brilliant group in Poole were visited by a journalist back in February, and the piece was featured on TV, online, and on BBC Dorset's social media. 

It was a brilliant opportunity to raise awareness of our work in BCP, and to share what a Filo day is really about - the importance of social connection and community-based support following a diagnosis.

VAT Campaign Update
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On a bitterly cold day last November, Dr Michael and Dr Avril Staunton travelled to Westminster to hand-deliver our open letter to HM Treasury, just days before the Budget. Avril is living with posterior cortical atrophy, and attends Filo days twice a week.

Signed by hundreds of you, the letter called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to end the unfair VAT rules that mean families affected by dementia can pay 20% extra for essential care through Community Interest Companies like The Filo Project.

More than six months on, Michael and Avril are still waiting for a response.

This silence is deeply disappointing. Families continue to pay thousands of pounds more than they should for vital dementia support and at a time when care is already difficult to access and afford. For someone attending Filo twice a week, VAT can add £3,120 a year. Since 2014, Filo families have paid an additional £500,000 in VAT.

Michael has now recorded a follow-up message to the Chancellor, explaining why this matters so much to families like his. As Michael says, if Avril had a different permanent disability, they would not be paying VAT on her care. The Filo Project is a lifeline, not a luxury.

Please take a moment to watch Michael’s message on Facebook or Instagram and, if you can, share it with your own networks to help us reach more people.

The more people who see and share Michael’s message, the harder it becomes for the Government to ignore this unfairness.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign so far. Together, we can keep up the pressure for fairer VAT rules for dementia care.

Tracey & Bill's story

Tracey has been a host in Saltash since June 2025, and when she welcomed a new client, Bill, into her group, she immediately recognised the name. As they chatted more during his first Filo day, the connection became clear: Bill had been Tracey’s History teacher back in the 1980s.

Thanks to Bill entering Tracey for both history exams, she passed her O-Level and went on to study History at A-Level, eventually becoming a teacher herself. Bill remembers only entering two students for both exams, and Tracey was one of them.

You can read more about their story on our website.