Doing it every day for Dementia Friendly Welshpool

I run. I love to run. I love to run a lot. Back on 22 June this year I started running every day, with an original goal to run for 200 days, which somehow grew into a goal to run every day for a year. Today, 10 December I am on day 172 of running every day and have already run over 1760 miles in 2017. 621 of those in the first 100 days of this running streak, meaning that for a 100 days I had run on average a 10k every day. I've slowed it down a little now and am aiming for an average of 5 miles per day for the time being. I have also been lucky to have secured a place in the London Marathon through the Dolly Mixtures Running Club. But with snow forecast to fall all day long and with a good 6 inches already laying on the roads, boy was it a challenge to complete 4 miles this morning. I run I want to stay fit and healthy but in weather like this it is tempting to give up and stay in a nice warm house.

So now what? How am I going to keep going till I have run every day for 365 days? in rain, sun, snow or hail?

Dementia Friendly Welshpool is a wonderful initiative to help those living with and affected by dementia in our community to feel valued, keep active and enjoy socialising and whatever else will help them to live well with dementia. Established in the spring of 2016 the group now hosts two groups for members of our community and beyond. Firstly there is a very successful fortnightly singalong session. These sessions are an uplifting and enjoyable experience and are enjoyed by many regulars and occasional visitors on alternate Friday mornings at the Day Centre. Then there is a new creative activity group, run weekly on a Monday morning, also being held at the Day Centre. This group will also allow for carers to meet for valuable peer support and social network building. Both groups are fabulous opportunities for people living with dementia and their carers and both are supported by wonderful volunteers giving up their time to help out.

However because we have professionals leading these groups, making them more enjoyable and worthwhile, they incur a financial cost. It costs around £55 for every singalong session and around £30 for every creative activity group. Through the generosity of community organisations and individuals Dementia Friendly Welshpool have raised enough funds to get both groups off the ground. But there isn't a bottomless fund of money. Therefore I would like to add to the funds and secure the running of these groups plus other support that people in our community affected by dementia need to help them live well.

So from now on, I will be "Doing it Every Day for Dementia Friendly Welshpool"

If you spot me running on a cold dark morning or evening, or in the snow or rain any time of day, shout a cheery greeting to help me on my way and if you feel like it, chuck a few quid my way to pop in the fund raising box. I hope to raise enough money to keep these groups going for a good few months, and who knows, even for a whole year with your help.

You see it's not just me that can do this. Anyone can join me in "Doing it Every Day for Dementia Friendly Welshpool". It doesn't have to be for a year, it could be every day for a week, a month, 10 days or any length of time you like. It doesn't have to be running, or even physical. It could be your hobby, a dreaded task, helping out a neighbour in need, singing, dancing, reading a book, just about anything you can think of. Or it could be NOT doing something every day, bad habits, good habits, just about anything. You could join me as an individual, as a small group, a school class, a club, scouts, guides, etc. Contact me for more information on how you can get involved.