Despite it being named after him, George Juniper never got to see Juniper Flowers florists in Sudbury.

Anne Juniper-Dickson, who owns the business, said her father, from Witham in Essex, passed away in January this year, aged 84, after suffering with vascular dementia.

She said she wanted to do what she could to support West Suffolk Hospital’s Forget-Me-Not Dementia Campaign after witnessing the devastating effects of the illness first-hand.

She has a vintage-themed tea day planned for November 6 from 10am to 3pm at the shop, which sells flowers as well as vintage-style clothes.

Her father had been too ill to see the shop, she said, and described dementia as a “rotten way to live”.

She said the campaign was a great cause to support, adding: “I just think dementia is growing and growing and the more people are aware of it, the better it is. It didn’t used to be talked about, but now it is.”

She said when a relative has the onset of dementia, people do not know where to turn and can be in denial.

Her family contacted the Alzheimer’s Society, an organisation she described as being “very helpful”.

But she added: “I didn’t find the GP that helpful. They said at the time ‘it’s just old age’. He knew something was wrong but the help wasn’t there.”

She said improving hospital stays for dementia patients was important as that environment could be unsettling for them.

The Forget-Me-Not campaign, in conjunction with the East Anglian Daily Times and its sister Mercury papers, has already funded a day room to give sufferers a calm and homely space in which to relax.

Money raised will also go towards a memory walk and to purchase reminiscence materials for the newly-opened day room.

At the tea day at Juniper Flowers, in North Street, there will be homemade cake and the mayor, councillor Robert Spivey, will be popping in at noon. There is already a collection tin at the shop for the campaign.

Mrs Juniper-Dickson added: “I see people come in to the shop who clearly have the onset of dementia and I kind of know. Anyone who has been in it [a similar position] will know.”

n The Forget-Me-Not Dementia Campaign has raised almost £20,000 of its £25,000 target.

To donate online visit www.justgiving.com/forgetmenotcampaign or you can give in person at any of The East Anglian Daily Times offices. Cheques should be made payable to Archant and marked on the back Forget-Me-Not Appeal and sent to 11 Woolhall Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP32 1LA.

Anyone who would like to know more about the campaign and how they can help should call Dave Gooderham on 01284 712952 or via email at dave.gooderham@wsh.nhs.uk