November 22 - 50 Ostrich Purple Angel Ambassadors join forces with Norman McNamara

It was a very humbling day, enjoyed by all across the world, and with so many thanks to Laurence and all at Ostrich care. This was once only a dream, now its a reality and going to help so many across the globe,

With so much respect, Norrms, "Angel" Elaine, and family xxxxxxxxxx

Diatribe, self-promotion, and commercialism, instead of real care as far as the 'Ostrich' is concerned. Norman, you seem to have strayed from your course I'm afraid. Tread carefully my friend. x

Beam me up, Scotty! This is becoming sad & depressing.

Are you, Ostrich, taking the proverbial out of Norman McNamara and everyone connected by dementia? It seems that way, judging by the trivia you are engaged in. For your own commercial gain, of course, and for the global advertising of the Ostrich brand.

Inauguration Ceremony? Inauguration Ceremony???? Sorry, but I’m screaming through tears.

In the UK, we are renowned for our ceremonial occasions. We do ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ with style. ‘Inauguration Ceremonies’ for angels is beyond comprehension.

The 20 or so people who came together to be ‘inaugurated’ as angels deserve respect, of course, but also pity. I feel for those who were known to Norman McNamara and dementia B.O. (B.O. is the acronym for ‘Before Ostrich’.) They are genuine supporters, as may be some others. But others may be A.O., After Ostrich angels, recruited by Ostrich and now acting on behalf of Ostrich, in this global Ostrich advertising campaign.

Is this website based in and controlled by America? Did you have a team of cheerleaders on site, flourishing pompoms? With ‘Ruffles and Flourishes’, such as in this link that takes you to a website that calls itself ‘mental_floss’ - http://mentalfloss.com/article/33613/7-songs-inauguration-day-and-other-state-ceremonies

As someone who has worked to raise Dementia Awareness for more years than I care to declare, I find this all extremely depressing.

To those who have commented with negative comments, it is us that pity you, as you cannot see the bigger picture, i still have all my friends intact, BO or AO as you say, ( by using these acronyms i am almost sure who you are in the REAL WORLD") . All you are trying to do is stop progress and raise awareness where its needed. I also think a HUGE chunk of jealousy is abundant here, nothing more to say apart from even the smallest raising of awareness is huge, no matter where it comes from xxxxxxxxxxxx

I don't know why it is some people have to debase themselves by posting such negative comments, if you've nowt good to say then say nowt. Remember it could happen to you one day. Well done Norm and all the Angels keep up the good work it is much appreciated.

How can people belittle such a magnificent achievement!
I personally know two of these ambassadors and they are not interested in the commercialism but interested in raising awareness of Dementia and supporting those suffering - by working with companies such as Ostrich it provides a bigger support network and means more raising of awareness.
Your comments make me feel sad for you - that you can't see the work that is happening, the networks that are forming and how this can only benefit individuals.
Hang your heads in shame and remove your comments!

In my own way I have campaigned and supported Dementia awareness in any and as many ways as I can since I realised just how bad the system has become at letting people down. Any awareness with or without symbols and groups or inaugarations is better than hiding away and doing nothing...as many sadly do. We need to shout from the roof tops how bad this is and how much worse it will become over the next years so I am one lady who also cares..that is proud to adopt a Purple Angel role and support Norrms and Ostrich to wake the world up. There will always be in our society people who just do not agree with the way other people do things...all entitled to opinions in our free state...however we should all be in this together and stop the petty unnecessary bickering and stand united to end this crippling destructive disease .

I am sooo honoured to become a Ostrich Purple Angel Ambassador and to be part of such an incredible team.As soon as i heard what Sir Norms(Norm) was doing i was eager to be part of this scheme.
I was trying to get Warrington Dementia Aware and i was more determined than ever once i knew Sir Norms had The Purple Angel Scheme up and running,It has given me lots of new ideas and to chat daily to people with the same passion for change as me is amazing.
Together we are stronger and combined we will make massive changes to help people living with Dementia and their families,Sir Norms has given me the confidence to spread the word and i can tell you all i have had nothing but admiration and positve feedback from people in the shops i have signed up,54 up to now and many more to come.
Since becoming a P/A Ambassador it has given me more confidence to go higher and higher with spreading Awareness to Dementia.
I would like to thank Ostrich Care for all their support but my main thank you is to Sir Norms who is such a inspirational,brave lovely man who i wouldnt be doing what i am doing today if i hadnt found him and the Ostrich Purple Angel Scheme.
Together we are stronger and together we WILL make massive changes for the better towards Dementia.Alzheimers xx

Angelina without sounding rude you can keep your pity thank you as i am not the one who needs it,I am delighted with what Sir Norms has achieved and passed on to me and many others for the sake of Awareness and not for self promotion i can assure you.
Sir Norms we are formed now and if anybody wants to take any achievments away from you/us then they dont share our PASSION.
I am honoured to work with you Sir Norms as is all The P/A Ambassadors.Thank you Sir Norms for doing what you can while you can and showing us the path we will proudly follow when you are unable :( ,BUT until then Lets do it as we have been :) xx

From reading the above comments you evidently don't know what we represent. Do you honestly think we are trying to raise awareness of dementia through Ostrich? No offence to Laurence and those at Ostrich but I never mention the fact they are anything to do with our campaign; we're raising awareness of dementia not someone's company. What Ostrich provide the Purple Angel however is invaluable and makes all this a reality. The company I work for wish to help out by printing posters and stickers, I say let them as long as it relates to our mission to raise awareness.

Angelina, you've stated you've raised awareness of dementia for years now, how successful has that been on a global scale? Who were your target audience? Why aren't you happy about the mission we've created?

Away from the above messages now; the event was one I thoroughly enjoyed and travelled 6.5 hours to attend. All who attended really seemed to enjoy the day too, whilst exchanging ideas, contact details and being utterly engaged with the day's speakers. I for one cannot wait for when we are together again to exchange such great ideas and have a proper catch-up.

What are these people moaning about?
As you say Norrms, any publicity has got to be good publicity surely.
I'm chuffed to bits for all involved.
Well done the Ostrich Purple Angel Scheme!! xx

Whether you believe in the Ambassador program or see it as commercializing the cause is irrelevant. Dementia is a growing concern, with more people every day getting the diagnosis or learning to care for those they love. People can argue the ridiculous points about who does what or they can fight this battle their own way. Nobody has to join us, but everybody needs to help raise awareness and get the world moving toward better care of those with dementia. Thank you OstrichUK for helping to get people talking! Thank you to all the people who are working toward making the world Dementia Aware.

Well done Norm you have started something wonderful,The people that know you understand your passion as we do keep up the good work love Mo xx

Raising awareness is our priority and with the support of Ostrich this is easier as we no longer have to worry about fundraising for our printing costs but as Chris says I never mention them when talking..mention Norms. Really upsets me that everyone can't just work together to make changes happen. I for one would never comment negatively about people who are trying their best to make a difference even if I didn't like the way they were doing it. Norms works so hard and has inspired me so much..and the other ambassadors are all fantastic ordinary people trying to do their bit..as for self gain I know I for one have never been more tired in my life but the satisfaction of seeing the angels in the shop windows more than makes up for my blistered feet..so if that is self gain bring it on.
Really just can't believe people can be so negative about any of this.
Purple angel ambassador and proud of it x

When I read the negative comments I can not help but think...does this person even have a clue as to what is going on...do they really care...but why should I be surprised...we live in a selfish and bitter world controlled by greed and self interest...I wonder what most of the negatives do that is setting the standards for all others...

I think anything that raises awareness of Purple Angel has got to be a positive. My husband has advanced young onset dementia and we wear Purple Angel lapel pin badges along side our forget me not badge but no one we meet knows wot they mean or stand for , we live in the north west of England. If the purple Angel became recognised nationwide, worldwide it would be a great achievement. Maybe people would be more understanding when they meet us and realise there are difficulties we face. Go Norrms xxx

These silly comments will only make everyone more determined to support Norms and with the wonderful help from Ostrich we will all get people "DEMENTIA AWARE". Then with the fantastic generosity of the British people they will raise more money for DEMENTIA RESEARCH so our wonderful dedicated research teams will find better drugs to reduce the risk, lessen the effects, or find a Cure for DEMENTIA. Cheerio Bill.

I am one of the 50 Ambassadors and it is a real honour to be one.I was NOT recruited by Ostrich.In fact Norms asked me if i would like to apply.Like Anita and Chris i rarely mention Ostrich [no offence].Where i live there is very little Dementia Awareness and i am determined to change that in the coming months and years.

I am so honored to be one of the Purple Angel Ambassadors. We are all passionate about raising dementia awareness to create a better world for those living with dementia and their families. Dementia robs people of their memories...so why do people want to destroy their dignity?

We are all working on our mission without any monetary compensation....just motivated by our own passion! We come from many different walks of life and different cultures, but we are united by our passion to change life for those living with dementia. Most of us have been working on this for years. It took Norm to bring us all together. With so many creative individuals working together great change can happen!

I appreciate the fact that Ostrich was willing to step forward to facilitate our group by providing printed materials and even this page itself. As you know, nothing in this world is free. Without the support of Ostrich, we would not be able to reach out to so many people. We are not asking the businesses and community organizations we contact for donations before they can display the Purple Angel logo. This is all thanks to Ostrich. We will all continue our personal missions with or without their support! But do not demean our commitment with your negative comments because we have a corporation who shares our commitment working with us. And if Ostrich receives some recognition, it is well deserved. I know how difficult it is to get a company to support a cause without a guaranteed financial return. So I personally applaud Ostrich for their commitment to dementia awareness! But most importantly, the Purple Angel Ambassadors are not about Ostrich...we are about our ongoing commitment to educate and raise dementia awareness!!!!

Thank you so much to each and every one of you for these wonderful uplifting comments, the two people who wrote the negative comments ( I am 99% sure i know who they are and one of them Hasnt even met me !!)

In life we will all have critics, but more fool them if they cant see all the good thats being done and will continue to do, To all ambassadors, your are all STARS xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Norrms you are the star that brought some incredible caring and loving fun people together to help increase awareness globally...no strings attached no agenda just pure and simple awareness. What can possibly be wrong with that.? I will continue as long as I am able regardless of any negativity in the world...indeed all the people I approach or approach me are shocked by the figures and want to help as much as they can...that's what it's all about...people power is incredible.

It is really hard to believe that anyone could find anything to criticise in the genuine desire to increase understanding of what it means to have dementia. We each individually have the motivation to do this but realise with Norrms inspiration, experience and driving force and the Purple Angel banner to hold high and unite us - we can really do it. Ostrich are responsible for enabling this to move forward and I believe they are genuine. I have not been asked to promote Ostrich at any time, I do not believe they are expecting us to do that. Norrms is the wonderful guy behind all this and Ostrich have helped him to make things happen. Personally, I feel indebted to both. Lets celebrate not criticise.

Norms, my old boss at work used to say to me "Tony, the world is full of knockers. Whatever you do in life, they'll always be somebody who disagrees with what you're doing, or the way you're doing it, and try to shoot you down or pour cold water on it".
Let's get this in perspective; of the 19 people who posted above, only Petra and Angelina posted negative ones. We all knew why we were there in Paignton. We were there because we want to share in your passion to increase Dementia awareness, not just in Torbay, but worldwide. We share that passion. Dementia has no boundaries, why should we?
As a carer with a wife with Dementia, I can only applaud your initiative and want to do my bit where I live to raise awareness, as well as money for research, to rid this world of this awful debilitating illness.
Stay true to your passion Norms and we as Purple Angels will stay true to ours as well.
Enjoy the Military Wives tonight and let the knockers knock.

It seems that we forget that it is here because of dementia? Because of my MIL I can't even think of doing anything else much less this horrible diseases that is eating her away! Those that can should do what they think is right, but don't begrudge those of us who can't.

Norms, take no notice of the negative comments, far outnumbered by positive ones. What you are doing to raise awareness of dementia is fantastic. Your passion is inspiring to everyone. Keep it up!

Norman McNamara, for the record - I have never met you, never spoken to you, never had any communication or connection with you whatsoever.

You have absolutely no need or reason to connect me to anybody in your life, because you and I have no connections whatsoever. Apart from dementia. There is no jealousy here, so you are wrong again.

You may have missed the point of my post. I was not disrespecting any single 'angel', although that is a sentence that I find enormously difficult to write. Because as I suggested before, 'inaugurating angels' is beyond my comprehension, and could be seen as blasphemous by some people. (Not by you, angels, I know.)

Giving a personal opinion is not debasing yourself, Peter. I was not commenting on whether or not any one of the 'angels' is interested in commercialism, Ann, or in self-promotion (and the latter wasn't my comment ).

The commercialism and self-promotion and advertising and disguised concern that I see comes from Ostrich, a company that has no history; that has no evidence to support itself as a 'company' with the according structure; that does not even declare the names of its Ostrich Team. (I have read more than this blog.) It is a website that was created only very recently, and then found Norman McNamara.

You will all remember that Norman McNamara wasn't allowed to announce his news about GPS systems? That was because the Ostrich website was changing and reforming and deleting all past connections, so that it became more acceptable before Norman McNamara made his announcement. The website re-appeared just moments before Norman McNamara was given the green light to post his 'news' to you all. The connections all changed, before you came by Ostrich. A matter of weeks ago now. Things move fast, don't they?

It is called "Ostrich-findit" - and it found Norman McNamara.

It isn't Dementia Awareness that has gone 'global'. it is the advertising of Ostrich that has gone 'global' on the back of dementia.

The Ostrich Purple Angel ambassadors have all agreed to represent Ostrich, and to accept invitations to be involved in events in the name of Ostrich. So you have signed up to promote Ostrich. You aren't just "Purple Angel Ambassadors" - you are now Ostrich Purple Angel Ambassadors. There is a difference.

The internet has allowed us all as individuals to go 'global'.

I have real friends living in America, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Israel and across other parts of the world, outside of the UK. I also have 'virtual' friends that I've never met, across the world and in the UK. Many with dementia in their life - so my connections and our mutual promoting of dementia awareness are already 'global', as you would call it. I would never expect them to become completely global, because that is impossible.

I tweet on Twitter - and that's how I came by this all. Not by any connection with Norman McNamara.

Norman McNamara tweets on Twitter and asked you all to fly here. You did so.

I haven't bothered to tweet for angels to fly in to support my point of view - nor will I do so. So yes, Tony Hall, I am just one voice here - and that's my choice. I have no connection with Petra either - by letter, by email, by phone, in person, by web, by Facebook, by Twitter or by any other means. On that you can rely because it is the absolute gospel truth.

Good evening to all of you.

I am so sad to see some of the negative comments. I respect your right for you to have an opinion. But it is just that an opinion and it does not need to be spiteful and hurtful to get your point across. I would simply ask that you respect our right to get on with the job of raising Dementia awareness. I have know Norrms for a long time now and my Dad has LBD. I am honoured to be an International Dementia Awareness Ambassador. I am in Australia and if I had the funds and time would have made the trip. Ostrich may be doing a bit of self promotion and good on them. We need more social entrepreneurs like this. We are here for one reason and one reason only to educate and raise awareness. we will all do this in our own way. To those who have commented negatively I wish you well in your journey but please do not belittle others because they walk a different path to you.

Dear Angelina! I have to enlighten you! If you take a look at The Joseph Rowntree Foundation you will find that they published a survey on dementia friendly communities and their findings were that becoming dementia friendly can increase business... Well, well, some don't know this! If you take a hospital in the USA who has completed their intrinsic training program from purple angel and displays the sticker at their entrance, people with dementia will appreciate that they will be better cared for there and presto will pay their fees to the accredited hospital. Wherever you raise awareness and offer support for people- with or without dementia - it's an obvious fact that it could increase your business. This, however, is not the mission of Purple Angel or Ostrich and unless you have personal contact with the CEO of Ostrich there is no way you are in a position to make the above comments! I am proud to be raising awareness and until Ostrich made their offer of help I was barely managing to fund printing, fuel and stickers from my OWN pocket. As an appointed Purple Angel /Ostrich Ambassador (and that's the correct format) ambassador I can now continue raising awareness throughout the world. What a fantastic opportunity for the Purple Angel and all those who wrestle with these diseases.

Nobody has belittled anybody.

My opinion is as valid as your opinion. So please don't belittle my opinion.

Where was I spiteful? Where was I hurtful? Where?

"International" dementia awareness ambassador is a use of language that elevates you to a position that you want. Ostrich is not a social entrepreneur.

Again, I say that nobody has belittled anybody.

If asking questions of Ostrich is seen, by you, to be belittling - I suggest that you are wrong there.

Please do not belittle my concerns. That is insulting to me.

I take it, Jane, that your fuel and printer ink are now being provided by Ostrich. Or have you now been made redundant?

Where did I ever say that I was against the promotion of dementia friendly communities? As for your comment on 'increasing business' , it is naivel

The JRF has been around for a lot longer than Ostrich, and with far better connections, and cited York was a well-known example of the research on-going. If I remember correctly, JRF also said that what is good for dementia is good for everyone. (Don't quote me on the precise wording of that though.) Flipping obvious, innit! Or are you going to argue with that one too?

Jane, y0u are an "Ostrich Purple Angel Ambassador". Whether you like it or not. Read this website and others - and you will discover that you are an "Ostrich Purple Angel Ambassador". I accept that you may not have considered the consequences of your elevation. That's your problem - not mine.

I do not believe that a sticker on a door will change anything. I can stick a sticker on my coffee-shop but it won't mean a toss. Staff come and staff go; especially if paid the minimum wage as in care homes; here today and gone tomorrow. Where's the guarantee that all 'here today and gone tomorrow' staff will all be trained in dementia awareness? Get real.

I haven't met Laurence Kelly, or any other of the Ostrich tea, but I know that you have.

I am in a perfect position to comment.

Thank you so much for your uncaring thoughts about my concerns, and BTW you have not enlightened me one iota.

I am proud also to be raising awareness of dementia.

I have followed Norrms trials, tribulations & triumphs from the start & I am a PROUD Purple Angel Ambassador. In my eyes, Ostrich are supporting a fantastic cause, not to sell themselves (although hey, why not kill 2 birds with one stone?!) I understand there are many ways to raise awareness and many wonderful people are but why not have a logo? Many other causes do and the more people can identify with a logo, the more recognition the cause gets.
When you visit a public place and you see a sign for a loop system for those with hearing aids - that tells us what is available for the hard of hearing, a specific sign tells us there is a disabled toilet, a purple angel tells us staff are aware of possible needs for visitors with dementia/premises are adapted or dementia information displayed. What is the problem for those leaving negative comments? I went through the dementia journey for 12 years with my beautiful mum & co-founded a voluntary support centre, like many others have & I shall proudly take the Purple Angel to wherever the rest of my journey takes me. I am honoured to be one of Norms ambassadors and proud of my fellows too.
Instead of wasting precious time writing negatively, we should pool together to write positive messages and get them out there.

Hiya Guys, the feelings of so many, apart from ONE (maybe two) says so much and speaks volumes !! Now, where were we?? Lets just get on with the job in hand and do what we do best, so much love to you all, well, nearly all LOLL xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I apologise to you Angelina if you feel I have belittled you. That's that's the last thing any of us wish to do and we are just exasperated when not understood and receive adverse comments! Ostrich are not Purple Angel - we are all voluntarily raising awareness whether we have joined in this bit of fun or not. Ostrich are merely facilitating free posters, stickers and support. I still do "my own thing" as you do and pay for my own costs. The free posters have simply helped me and other poorer countries out with printing costs. As you say, all awareness is good and to be able to meet all my fellow awareness raisers was a wonderful experience. The angel logo reflects the support given by a carer and is a symbol of hope. Some will see it as a religious symbol and some simply as a guardian to help them cope with dementia - one global symbol has to be a good thing for those with dementia and can be combined with the many other hard earned local logos out there. I am with you on the basic wage - it's an insult to all great care workers - and in my community I have addressed this with more personal support (even though I am an unpaid carer myself). In our local home we now have a much valued activity co-ordinator and even a small wage increase! (not enough though!) There is much more to raising awareness than putting up stickers as you know but the stickers do outwardly show support which is great. We do promote good training for hospitals and care homes and assist the scouts, schools and all others in the community to understand what dementia means. We need to all work together to beat dementia and I would welcome you to join us too - together we are strong! Please join Purple Angel - we would be glad to have you on board! [email protected]

As one of Normans Angel Ambassadors I am proud to work in my community to raise awareness about Dementia.

So what if Ostrich are also using us to promote their name? Is it not their MONEY that is providing the GPS that will keep many alive and safe in the future. As Ambassadors we give our time and energy freely and it would be great if the sceptic critics stopped back biting and did so too.

Keep up the great work Ostrich and Norms

Thanks, Jane, for your kind invitation, but I'll pass on that one and stick with the group I'm already involved with, a kind, caring and compassionate group of people. We learn from each other and we learn from others too as we go along, without feeling the need to deflect all and any 'adverse comments' that come our way.

If the angels' posts above are indicative of the kind of understanding, support and dignity you all show, I want nothing to do with that. Thank you again for your kind invitation though.

If you need to cry out for support from the angelic host, you should just stick together, rather than trying to invite others to join you. Unless you are wanting to control their thinking too.

You've all still missed the point. Go back and read my original comments, and you will see that they were directed to the Ostrich - conspicuous by its absence from its own blog. This blog was not written by Norman McNamara, and my comments were made to Ostrich, not to Norman McNamara, so why should he have needed to summon you all to stand in attendance? Is criticism of Ostrich automatically criticism of you angels? If so, you are going to be busy reading each and every day, rather than receiving an email inviting you.

Perhaps you are all overly sensitive, and perhaps you imagine criticism of your work, even when there is none. Or are you so fragile that you can't contemplate any 'adverse comments', as Jane calls them. You are obviously all perfect, so have no need to learn as you go along, either from each other or from those outside.

Caron, for information, I am also giving my time and energy freely in support of people with dementia and other conditions. Don't jump to conclusions, please, unless you have reason to do so, which you don't.

I've just listened online to Norman McNamara speaking today, and allegedly, Ostrich is making available £1,500,000 for 15,000 free GPS systems and 150 free monthly contracts. Yes, that is £one-and-a-half-million-pounds. According to Norman McNamara speaking today.

Think about it, please.

I am also an Ambassador from Nepal, I would like you all to focus on this, I have repeatedly asked for basic help from associations and Communities working for Dementia Awareness. I personally am from Nepal where scenario and action are totally different from the place you belong. I have been criticized, unheard, not replied and also not cared by society, communities, and even Association. I hadn't asked them to provide me with anything that they couldn't afford or provide, I just had asked them to supply me with pamphlets, leaflets and materials they already have printed.
As of Ostrich i have received some documents from them making it helpful for me to advocate people about dementia, I feel happy for Ostrich though it may be a part of their advertisement but i am happy that they are also promoting awareness. May be some of us disagree with their method of working but i believe that if we have 100 organisation like Ostrich we will be covering the Major area in the Globe educating about Dementia.
It is not a fight for who earns or not, It is a fight for creating a Dementia Friendly community and educating people about dementia. Raising Fund for research and Medical base.
Thank you

As a co-founder of www.purpleangel.org.uk, which was created to support Norman McNamara and Dementia Awareness Day, I find this thread of posts very disconcerting.

Whilst I can see both sides of the coin, I am disappointed to see so many people wasting energy on petty point scoring. We should all be focused on our mutual goal - raising awareness of dementia. This seems to be slipping.

My own thoughts on the involvement of Ostrich Care have been made directly to both Ostrich and Norman privately, and that's the way it should be (for now). I will continue to support the greater cause whatever. Dementia isn't about one man, or one company!

It's time we all got back on track and remember what we are all here for. Together we CAN make a difference!

These comments are my personal opinion and are in no way a reflection on anybody else associated with www.thepurpleangel.org.uk, who are not affiliated in any way with Ostrich Care.

I can only donate my time and hopefully my enthusiasm. There have been and always will be many amazing people who are doing outstanding work, whether it be in their personal family lives, working in the professional care sector or in not-for-profit charitable organisations. In my opinion love, genuine friendship, loyalty and honesty count for everything when it comes to promoting the message of The Purple Angel.