I am running the Royal Parks Half Marathon on Oct 7 and am taking the opportunity to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society, the leading support and research charity for people with dementia, their families and carers.

Having tragically lost my mother to Alzheimer's when she was relatively young, the support that the Alzheimer's Society provides is close to my heart. 

There are over 100 different types of dementia, with the most common being Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. All types of dementia are progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse as the brain become increasingly damaged over time. During the later stages of dementia most people will become increasingly frail and will gradually become totally dependent on others for all their care.

As well as providing practical services and support for people with dementia and their carers, the Alzheimer’s Society tries to influence government policies and raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with dementia and the people who care for them. Through its research programme, the Society also works to improve the knowledge we have about dementia and its treatment and pursuing the ultimate goal of finding a cure. 

Worldwide more than 7.7m people are diagnosed with dementia, mostly Alzheimer’s, each year – yet we still lack a treatment that can halt this devastating disease, and every year more lives are lost to it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my Just Giving page. Any contribution would be hugely appreciated.