I have many fond memories of weekends spent in coffee shops with my family and particularly my Nanny P. It was a bit of a ritual for my family to go into our local town on a Saturday morning to get the weekend's shopping and end up meeting my grandparents in the local coffee shop.

Nanny P always had funny stories to tell and filled us in on the crazy events of her week. I was always able to have a good chuckle with her and she had a very infectious laugh. Both my sister and I were very fortunate to share many of these moments with her.

Sadly she now has dementia and lives in a care home. Over the Christmas period, my Mum showed me a video of her and my aunties visiting Nanny P before Christmas. The person who I saw in the video was a shadow of her former self. This was quite emotional for both my sister and I. It really hit home just how awful dementia is.

This year I have finally decided to take the plunge and will run the Great Birmingham Half Marathon to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society.  Alzheimer’s Society is transforming the landscape of dementia forever. They have a whole range of initiatives to ensure that people suffering with dementia are supported and accepted, able to live in their community without fear or prejudice.

Any money that you can donate would be greatly appreciated. Wish me luck!