The time has come for me to run the London Marathon after waiting for this amazing opportunity for a number of years. I know I am crazy and will have moments of thinking I am mad but the only reason to do this is to help raise money for an incredible charity - Alzheimer's Research UK. 

Dementia comes in many forms and is not always about your memory - Alzheimer's Research UK dedicates research, time and money to all types of dementia and helps people understand the differences. Dementia is a cruel disease that impacts so many people and it is so important that we find a cure. 

Dementia has impacted our family personally and continues to do so every day. It is with the help of charities like Alzheimer's Research UK that we can find ways to deal with dementia and hopefully one day find a cure. 

I would be grateful for any donations towards the marathon run as I am trying to raise between £2500 - £3000 by April! The smallest contribution helps in a huge way and below is a summary of what your fantastic donations will do in the fight against Dementia: 

• £10 could buy 100 microscope slides, which are essential in everyday use by scientists studying dementia
  
• £20 pays for 10 GP information packs, sending more information across UK surgeries 
• £50 will help run the ARUK Dementia Research Infoline for two hours, helping to improve the lives of people living with dementia
  
• £125 could provide the tools for scientists to map 5,000 genes in minute detail, identifying targets for the developments of new treatments
• £300 will cover the cost of a sensitive brain scan for a patient involved in a research study, tracking the effectiveness of new drug treatments, improving diagnosis and better understanding how diseases like Alzheimer's wreak their havoc in the brain
• £650 will help researchers extract and analyse the DNA from 250 blood samples, helping identify new genes that alter the risk of dementia, and provide vital clues for treatment
• £2200 supports the team of one of ARUK's top scientists for a whole week which could be what the team needs to find a breakthrough

Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks for all your support! Remember when you see/talk to me, remind me why I am doing this as I am sure to have moments where I think I am just insane! :-)