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A ten strong team of cyclists are embarking on a gruelling 550 mile cycle from the Blackpool Tower to the Eiffel Tower in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.
A team of cyclists, comprising of Mike Carpenter, Steve Rees, Ian Short, Guy Short, Vicki Lamb, Guy Carpenter, Graham Tracey, Brian Coombs, Andy Jeffries and Sarah Mawbey, with support from Annette Hulse and Trevor Burchik, will begin their journey on the 7th June 2014, and are seeking your donations to the charity, who assist those suffering from the disease across the whole of the United Kingdom.
Dementia is one of the main causes of disability later in life, ahead of cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke. As a country we spend much less on dementia than on these other conditions. The onset of Alzheimer’s affects many families in the UK and its impact is devastating. The long slow decline of a family member lasts for many years. Cyclist Mike Carpenter said, “We want to make a difference and help to find a cure. Please help us by donating to a great cause.”
Our Two Towers cycle team are fast approaching the start date of their enormous ride, and are well underway with their training.
But it isn’t just the cyclists who are a part of the team, there are a number of local businesses who are taking part in the Two Towers Challenge, and helping in a variety of different ways.
Founded by Richard Salisbury in 2009, Pedal Precision is based at the Velodrome in Manchester and provides professional bike fitting and maintenance. They are providing a professional bike fitting for the Two Towers Challenge cyclists in May. You can follow their work on Facebook.
Fulcrum Sports Therapy will be providing physical therapy during the Two Towers Challenge, giving up a week of their own time to take part in the challenge and assist with evening repairs, as well as resourcing survival equipment. They are on Facebook here.
Finally, Pro-Balance Training Gym will be on hand throughout the Two Towers Challenge to provide fitness experience, and Andy, Pro Balance’s trainer will be supporting the team throughout the week of the challenge. They are on Facebook and Twitter.
As well as supporting the riders by donating to the Alzheimer’s Society, please do remember that all of these businesses are giving up their time to provide expert advice to our team.
One in three people over 65 will die with dementia and Alzheimer’s Society research shows that 800,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, and more than half have Alzheimer’s disease.
In just ten years a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051. Alzheimer’s Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and the millions of people who care for them.
Dementia costs the UK over £23 billion a year, and this figure will rise to £27 billion per annum by 2018. Delaying the onset of dementia by five years would halve the number of deaths from the condition, saving 30,000 lives a year. Dementia research is desperately underfunded. The government invests eight times less in dementia research than cancer research.
In 2007-08 cancer research received £248.2 million, while dementia research received just £32.34 million. Currently Alzheimer's Society has £6.5 million invested in dementia research to improve care for people today and find a cure for tomorrow. They aim to increase their annual investment in research to more than £10 million by 2017 and with your donation, they can get closer towards that figure.
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.
For more information on the charity, or if you want more information on Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s Society provides a National Dementia Helpline, the number is 0845 300 0336 or visit www.alzheimers.org.uk