In Septmber 2015 I lost my beloved dad to Alzheimer's despite a typically heroic fight. It was so tragic to see such a talented and capable man slowly withdraw from life and I vowed at the time that I would do all I could to help eradicate this disease.

At the moment, 850,000 people in the UK suffer from some form of dementia and as the population ages, this will grow. Figures released yesterday by the ONS reveal that “The number of deaths where dementia and Alzheimer’s were listed as the underlying cause have been steadily increasing over the last 15 years, but were well above the five-year average in 2015".

This means that if you don't know someone who has had it, it is very likely that you will one day so we really need to get our collective skates on to crack this.

I grew a moustache in 2014 and raised £2,500 for Prostate Cancer so this time I felt I needed to do something a little more taxing to raise a little bit more! The Camino Way is 800km across the north of Spain and I am doing it in May this year - my target £3,000. I am paying all my own travel, kit and walk costs so every penny you donate will go directly to the society.

I have never walked as far in my life (I take a taxi when I have to put the bins out!) so believe me this is a challenge worth digging deeply for - it really will make a huge difference and soon, I know, we will have that all-important cure.

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.

Thank you for reading and thank you even more for donating. 

Richard xxx