On May the 12th 2012 at 8am my teammates and I will set off from Richmond Park in London and set off on a100km walk to Brighton. We aim to complete the walk within 24 hours.

Why would we put ourselves through this arduous ordeal, not to mention the weeks of intensive training leading up to the event?

We are walking on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society to raise money and awareness of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.            

Imagine that you, or someone you love, has just been diagnosed with dementia. Once the shock has subsided, who will answer all your questions and help alleviate the anxiety and distress that often go hand in hand with this condition?

Alzheimer's Society believes that no one should face dementia alone. Through their helpline services they offer reassurance and a sympathetic listening ear, as well as up-to-date information and advice on all aspects of living with dementia.

Over £250,000 is needed every year just to maintain this service at its current level.

Quality Research in Dementia

Alzheimer's Society is committed to defeating dementia through research. They work with the scientific community in partnership with people affected by dementia, and currently invest over £6 million in dementia research. 

The Alzheimer's Society research programme provides funding for research into the cause, cure, care and prevention of dementia to improve treatment for people today and to search for a cure for tomorrow. However, they could do even more. A lack of funds forces them to make some very tough decisions. Many quality research projects are turned down because there simply is not enough money to fund all of the projects they would like to.

Dementia research is seriously under-funded. The government invests eight times less in dementia research than cancer research. If nothing is done now, one million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years. Even by delaying the onset of dementia by five years, they could halve the number of deaths from this devastating condition.

We must invest in research to defeat dementia. That is where you come in. Please help me raise as much money as possible for this very worthy cause.

Many thanks to you all,

Louis