I am taking part in the London Marathon & the Cambridge Half Marathon. 

I am raising funds for Alzheimer's research UK in memory of Mum.... Morag as she was known.

Mum passed away in 2016 having lived with dementia for around 6 years. Sadly dementia isn't just getting a little forgetful... Neither is it an inevitable part of getting old. In truth this vile disease that slowly takes away your mind, its memories and your capacity to understand and carry out many everyday tasks.... At it's worst mum had violent outbursts, loss of inhibitions, she lost control of her bodily functions and finally confined her to bed, she just existed lost in the terrifying confusion of her own mind.....The one thing mum always dreaded! 

Dementia is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the UK. Yet just half (51%) of the public recognise that dementia can cause death.

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias now account for more than 12% of all deaths.

Dementia research is hugely underfunded, especially when compared to other major diseases. It receives almost ten times less funding than cancer research, for example.

This could partly be the result of misunderstanding of dementia and what causes it. In the past, Alzheimer’s and other dementias were seen as a normal part of ageing, rather than specific diseases. There has also long been stigma attached to dementia and people are sometimes reluctant to talk about it. We are working hard to change this and encourage people to speak out about their experiences. If you would like to help us raise the profile of dementia, you can become an Alzheimer’s Research UK volunteer.

We also need to grow capacity in dementia research – encouraging more scientists to work on dementia. We are investing to build up the UK’s research capacity, by training young scientists as well as encouraging established researchers to move across into dementia research. By raising more funds for vital research, we can make progress faster than ever before.

Your donations are very much needed to continue funding. I wholeheartedly thank you for all your support....

Colin