My grandad was a quiet, kind man with a fantastic sense of humour and a cheeky glint in his eye. Our family watched that slowly taken away from him over the 10+ years he suffered with Alzheimer's Disease, and it broke our hearts. 

I am proud to be preparing to run the Brighton Marathon in September 2021 in memory of this sweet man, who loved us so well in his own quiet ways – the tractor and wheelbarrow rides, letting us "help" him with DIY in his greenhouse, laughing at ALL our terrible jokes and smuggling us biscuits from the biscuit jar!

Alzheimer's is one of the most prevalent causes of dementia – a group of diseases which affect the brain causing severe loss of memory, language, problem-solving, and other thinking abilities. It ultimately disrupts the ability to cope with daily life. The disease is progressive, with the gradual decline in brain function often taking several years (sometimes 10 or more), and often leading to earlier death. There are currently 850,000 people living with the disease, and around 60,000 people die from dementia each year in the UK.* 

By supporting the work of Alzheimer's Research UK, we can help make effective treatment of the disease a reality. Thank you so much for supporting me in my goal to run the 2021 Brighton Marathon as part of #TeamARUK !

*Sources: Knapp et al., 2007 and https://www.dementiastatistics.org