I’ve entered another Olympic Triathlon (1500m swimming, 40k riding and 10k running) and would love your support. 

Why the hell? 2 reasons, 1 because I need to beat Nadia again.... but this time I’m also ramping up the training and aiming to raise some money for the Alzheimer’s Society.  A charity very close to mine and my family’s hearts.

My darling Irish Granny has been suffering with Dementia for the past 5 years and whilst I am not in Dublin and do not see her every day I know how much this crippling disease has turned her world and my mums upside down. 

Testament to herself she is still living in the house my mum grew up in but that is largely down to her roster of daily carers and my mum.

My mum is my hero, she has trained to be a Dementia carer and lives somewhat of a double life between here and Dublin. As well as being on call on a daily basis with my Grans amazing carers and my extended Irish family she goes home every 3 weeks to make sure everything is in order.

Whether that is renovating her bathroom (so there is one downstairs!) reminding my Granny who she is and where she lives, taking her for a walk along the sea front - wheelchair in tow or simply giving her a sassy blow dry she makes sure that my Granny is still smiling.

There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, that’s set to rise to over 1 million by 2025. 

It’s a disease that triggers a loss of brain function. Symptoms include memory loss, confusion and problems with speech and understanding. It’s a terminal condition, and the conditions are usually progressive and eventually severe.

This year alone 225,000 will develop dementia – that’s 1 every three minutes. 

Two thirds of the cost of dementia is paid by people with dementia and their families but unpaid carers (like my mum) save the economy £11 billion a year. 

Dementia is one of the main causes of disability later in life, ahead of cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke but as a country we spend much less on dementia than on these other conditions.

Those are some pretty scary stats and sadly its likely you or someone in your family will be affected by this disease.... so give generously and come to cheer me on! 

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