My beloved mother, Marianne Winden, died from dementia in 2016.

To honour the 10th anniversary of mum's passing, I signed up for a 13 mile fundraising walk for the Alzheimer's Society in the Peak District, on 27 June 2026.

My mum was a student and lover of all things Italian, a self-taught artist, a formidable sportswoman (well into her late 70s). She was funny, witty, and always up for an adventure..

And she gave us so much love and joy - to my sister Dorothee and me, our partners, as well as her grandchildren Leander and Craig.

Until dementia took hold of her.

What was particularly cruel was that she was acutely aware of losing her faculties. It was heartbreaking for her, and it was heartbreaking for us.

But I cherish the happy moments from those final few years:

🌟 mum citing her favourite poems from her school days, word by word, without fail, even after more than 70 years.

🌟 our little picnics in the garden of her care home, Indulging in delicious food and admiring the roses (and her spotting the many weeds that needed urgent attention!)

🌟 reminiscing about her many adventures in life, even if she told the same stories over and over and over again. (And every time I pretended I had not heard them before - because she would have been so upset if she had known she kept repeating herself).

There is no denying it: Dementia is a cruel illness ‼️

It is also shockingly common, even more so amongst women than men.

I believe fully in the aims of the Alzheimer's Society and have deliberately chosen them to fundraise in honour of my mum.

Alzheimer’s Society are working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives. They do this by giving help to those living with dementia today and by providing hope for the future by campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be and funding ground-breaking research.

🙏❤️🙏 support means everything - Thank you! 🙏❤️🙏