My lovely dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2017.  He's doing well overall although increasing confused and now in need of lots of help and support for everyday tasks. Dementia is a cruel disease which irreversibly changes the lives of those affected by the illness and all those around them. It is now the leading cause of death in the UK and many other places around the world. There is currently no cure.

Dad is far from alone. 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia. More than 200,000 more will develop dementia this year. It's a global problem. The World Heath Organisation estimates that 50 million people around the world have dementia with 10 million new cases each year.

After living in a caravan in my parents' garden during the pandemic to help with dad, I've seen the affects of Alzheimer's close up. That drove me to want to do more to support those fighting to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for dementia - so others don't have to face the disease in their old age.

The dedicated team at Alzheimer's Research UK are working around the clock to help make life-changing breakthroughs possible – and one day, to find a cure.  I can't think of a better cause to support.

As for my challenge - "The Long Way Up" - I thought I'd set about walking from Land's End to John O'Groats, camping along the way. It's a roughly 1,200 mile trek which should take about three months.  I then decided to throw in a couple of twists - adding the most southern and most northern points on the British mainland (Lizard Point and Dunnet Head) and including the three peaks too (Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis). I've always walked, but I've not down a long distance walk for 28 years (the South West Way in 1993).. So it's quite an undertaking.

I'd hugely appreciate your support, all of which will go directly to a fantastic organisation working to make a real difference in the fight against dementia. It would spur me on my journey too. 

You can follow my progress on Twitter and Instagram:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaddyJDavies

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/patrickjdavies/

Many thanks, Patrick

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