AN EMMERDALE actor has been visiting an Ilkley care home to research his latest storyline.

John Middleton, who plays vicar Ashley Thomas, has been to Glen Rosa in Grove Road, run by charity MHA, on a couple of occasions to meet with residents and visit its specialist wing for people living with dementia.

Viewers of the ITV soap will witness Vicar Ashley – played by John – being diagnosed with stroke-related vascular dementia this week.

In preparation for the storyline, Emmerdale researcher, Liam Johnson, approached MHA during the summer after hearing about the work at Glen Rosa. The charity arranged for John to visit the home, which cares for 14 residents in its specialist Kitwood House dementia wing and a further 33 people in its premises.

John said: “The research I started was because I want everything to be accurate.

"I was anxious and careful to be specific about the type of dementia Ashley develops and what we can say about it. What surprised me was how much dementia varies from person to person. People’s dementia is as different as their personalities. I very much saw that when I visited Glen Rosa.

“What I have taken away from my visits to Glen Rosa is what friends and relatives notice more about personality changes. We have built that into the scripts. You will notice Ashley will lose his temper with somebody.

“We are very proud of the show and we like to get things right. If we get things right, it reaches out to people.”

Glen Rosa manager, Sylvia Blackburn, said: “It was lovely to welcome John to Glen Rosa and to show him the great work we do here.

"He got the chance to meet with our residents and talk with our staff about the care we give to our residents living with dementia, as well as to find out more about the condition and how it affects different people in different ways.”

MHA’s dementia lead, Kate Fisher, and media relationships manager, Theresa Knight, have been working with researcher Liam on making sure scenes are accurate, including checking scripts and meeting with script writers.

Kate said: “It has been great working with Emmerdale on this storyline.

"We know from our own work with people living with dementia how this condition affects not just individuals but also their families and friends. We are very much looking forward to the storyline developing and being involved in making sure the script is an accurate portrayal of stroke-related vascular dementia and how it people’s lives.”

Theresa added: “Right from our initial meeting with John and Liam, we were impressed by how they want to make sure Emmerdale gets the storyline involving Ashley developing dementia accurate. It has been great to welcome John to Glen Rosa, where they were able to visit our specialist dementia wing and also to speak with a family member of one of our residents and with staff.

“We look forward to this relationship between MHA and the Emmerdale cast and crew continuing as the storyline involving John and his character Ashley progresses.”

Liam said: “When we were first told about the storyline involving Ashley being diagnosed with dementia, we knew we needed to get it right. Despite what people think, dementia is an overarching term for a number of forms, so we needed the scripts and storyline to be accurate.

“MHA has been brilliant in checking draft scripts for us to make sure that what viewers see on their screens is accurate. We have discussed potential areas where the story might go in the coming months and Kate has been letting us know what is realistic and what isn’t.

“Without this input and the partnership we have developed, we could not have made sure the storylines are as accurate as they are, and we look forward to developing the storyline with the help and support of MHA in the future.”