Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Soon I'll be completing my 100th Parkrun and when thinking about how to mark it came up with the crazy idea of swimming to the startline. For those who don't know, the Parkrun in Shetland is on the island of Bressay, a 7 minute ferry crossing from Lerwick. It's about 1km across and although I'm a reasonably competent swimmer it will be a real challenge for me who is more often found walking or running.

I decided to use it as a fundraiser for Alzheimer Scotland for 3 reasons:

For the last 10 years of her life my mother-in-law Betty lived with Alzheimer's so I know first hand the impact that it has on the individual and their family.

Secondly, for several years I worked in a local care home supporting many residents who also lived with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

And thirdly, for the last year the community cafe, Cuppas@Quoys, which I help run at Quoys Baptist Church on a Tuesday morning has partnered with the local Alzheimer Scotland branch, with their volunteers working alongside those from the church and welcoming, among many others, local people with dementia and their family members.

The link with the Parkrun is a good one as keeping active and engaging in social activities are encouraged as ways of reducing the risk of developing dementia so as well as donating I would like to invite you all, if you are able, to join me at the Parkrun. (Don't worry - you can take the ferry - I won't ask you to swim!) It would be awesome to have 100 people at my 100th Parkrun. If you've never done it before it's simple to sign up online or, if you'd really rather participate without registering, that's ok. But it's more fun if you do! And don't be put off by the name Parkrun - every week we have walkers and buggies and dogs and folk who take an hour to do the 5k as well as those who nip round in 20 minutes. So I hope to see lots of you there!

I can't say definitely yet which Saturday I will be doing the swim as it will be dependent on the weather but the earliest will be 26th August so the first good Saturday morning from then.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.