Ailish's Big Splash - I can Swim 100 Lengths

When?  Friday 22nd February - 6.30pm - 8.30pm

Where?   Barrhead Sports Centre

What?  I am going to swim 100 lengths at my local pool.  I acheived my 60 length distance for fun and would like my 100 length effort to benefit others. I swim for fun and fitness rather than speed and power and am now part of the Ren96 and the West District synchronized swimming squads.  I will be taking part in my first ever competition in March and have chosen swimming as the physical activity for my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.  So this will be a personal challenge. I am swimming to raise money for Alzheimer Scotland.

Why? I have chosen Alzheimer Scotland for several reasons:

Gran came to live with us last summer - she is a young at heart 87 and we now use some of the support personally from Alzheimer Scotland and several other really good services and groups, so I would like the money raised to go back to support the sort of things we use so that others can enjoy them too.

She also joined the Scottish Dementia Working Group so will be doing her bit as well to campaign for change.  Well done Gran!  if you don't know about this group - they are a national group whose members all have a diagnosis of dementia and they speak out themselves to change policy and get better services for everyone affected by dementia. I know they will use extra money well to make a real difference for a lot of people.

I enjoy having my Gran live with me, especially when we do things together and have fun.  If she had not moved to live with us, I would probably not have had this chance to get to know her better as she lived 450 miles away before!  

It would be nice though if there was a cure or something that would slow things down more than we can already.  Having her memory so badly affected and relying so much on others is very frustrating for Gran.  So I also want some money to go to research. Again - I know Alzheimer Scotland will direct this money towards it's best use.

So where will your money go? I am dividing it 3 ways:

1. Local Dementia Advisors to develop more singing, drama, dance, keep fit type groups that are done in a way that people with dementia and their families can easily join in.

2. Scottish Dementia Working Group to carry on their campaigning work - this will also reach out to lots of people and make a difference for many in Scotland and beyond.

3.  The Alzheimer Scotland research appeal so that hopefully when I am 87 there will be less chance of me and my school friends feeling the same frustrations as Gran does now.

So:  Please be generous so I can give a decent amount to all 3. Tell as many other people as you can as well so my page goes everywhere!  1p a length will only cost £1 and every £1 will make a difference.   Thank you very much indeed.

Please let me know if you need any paper sponsor forms

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