My parents live just outside Cambridge and my Dad has Alzheimer’s Disease that is in its early stages.

Last Christmas he acquired an infection along with a virus that made him very confused and he lost his mobility. This led to him being admitted to A&E at Addenbrookes hospital where he stayed throughout Christmas. Mum helped staff care for him 24/7 for several days whilst waiting for a bed to become available on a ward.

He received fantastic care from hospital staff and made a good recovery. However, the experience was upsetting for my Dad and the family and gave us an insight into what the future might hold as the Alzheimer’s progresses.

My brothers (Christopher & Richard) and sister (Catherine) live fairly close to my parents and visit them regularly.

I live in the North West of England in a town called Leyland, a long drive from Cambridge and my family down there. I wanted to do 'something' to help and decided to undertake a challenge to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s Society to enable them to provide support for other people touched by this disease.

There are 214 peaks in the Lake District that are collectively known as the 'Wainwright's' after Alfred Wainwright who wrote seven guidebooks detailing them (www.wainwright.org.uk/the-society)

Over the course of 2023, I'll be hiking up all of them.

I'm 47 years old with a desk job and 'comfortable' waistline who hadn't been hiking since his teens so this is genuinely, a massive challenge!

The challenge will involve walking over 440 miles and ascending over 144,000ft (more than 4 times as high as Mount Everest).

Alzheimer’s Society is transforming the landscape of dementia forever.

Until the day we find a cure, we will create a society where those affected by dementia are supported and accepted, able to live in their community without fear or prejudice.