NORTHWICH Library will play host to a show highlighting the struggles of dementia as part of a nationwide awareness week.

Paradise Lodge, a musical comedy about living with dementia, comes to the library in Witton Street on Saturday, May 26 as part of Dementia Action Week.

Based on actor Steve Cooper’s experience of caring for his mother-in-law Dorothy in the final years of her life, the performance has toured across the north west and Yorkshire to critical acclaim.

Steve, best known for his roles in In The Flesh, Peter Kay’s Car Share, and Coronation Street, wrote the play to try and make sense of the condition and its impact on friends and family.

He said: “We wanted to help others understand how dementia changes the way we see reality and the impact that can have, but to look at it in a light hearted way which celebrates the lives of people with the condition.

“Dementia is now a bigger killer than heart disease in the UK and we hope the play will encourage people to think about the condition in a different way and talk about how we handle it.”

Steve stars alongside actress Sophie Osborne, who has also experienced caring for someone with dementia.

The pair play a dysfunctional ukulele musical duo, Eric and Kylie, embarking on their first gig together at the Paradise Lodge care home.

Taking on nine roles between them, their hilarious and heart-wrenching tale takes the audience on an exploration of the nature of identity, reality and loss.

Doors open at Northwich Library at 2pm on Saturday, May 26, for a 2.30pm start. Tickets are £5 to include refreshments.