Hello everyone. Thanks for stopping by. 

The gentleman in the picture up there is my father in law, Mike. Mike is 71 years old and, until May 2016, led a full and normal life. He loved his family, his gardening, his golf and Norwich City FC. He had been an insurance broker for most of his life, and a keen and active member of the Royal Norwich Golf Club. He lived independently, babysat his grandchildren and in all respects was enjoying his retirement. 

Mike was admitted to hospital with tiredness at the end of May 2016 and, while there, suffered some type of as yet unknown rapid onset dementia.  

Mike now lives in a Dementia home. He has good days and bad days, but his state can at best be described as confused. He has many problems with remembering names, faces and recent events. There are hallucinations and at what best can be described as misremembered recollections. He's now almost completely dependent on the care he receives at the home, and relies on extensive support from the staff there. He can't walk far unsupported, and his balance and co-ordination have suffered terribly, resulting in multiple falls which cause more injuries. 

Mike, his daughters and their families are now living with the reality of dementia. The reality is that so much can be done for the body, but the brain and the mind is still so unknown. We love him, but watching him slowly fade away is horrific and saddening. Our best moments with him are when we see flashes of the old Mike. When we talk about Norwich City FC, for example (and finding a huge collection of old NCFC programmes in his shed was a tribute to how often Mike used to attend games in the 70's and 80's) - when he cracks a wry smile or we can share a joke. 

Apart from those rare moments of light, it's been a dark time. So I'm going to try and raise some money to help with support into this horrendous condition. 

Last year I walked 100k from London to Cambridge in 20 hours and 57 minutes. My intention is to complete this trek in under 16 hours. This means a significant speed increase! I've lost weight (151.5 lbs) and am still training for my first marathon at time of writing, but its a long road ahead, and I'm going to need a lot of training over the next few months.... wish me luck. I'm not sure there's an ultra runner in me, but there may be someone who can just about make it. 

If you can spare a few pounds to help me on my way, it would be greatly, greatly appreciated. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.