Mamma Mia, here we go again

Hi my name’s Lex Nicholls, some of you may remember me from such fundraisers as “I am running a half marathon for Mind” or “I am walking 13 miles to raise money for Alzheimer’s UK”. Well, I’m back baby and here with another essay on why you should sponsor this sack of 20-something year old flesh to do it all over again.

Last time I did one of these, my Granddad was still knocking about in a care home living the life of Riley and playing pranks on the staff. Sadly, his Alzheimer’s got the better of him and we lost him not long after
Christmas. Since then, my Granny has also joined the Alzheimer’s club – it’s not a great subscription service, frankly the perks are terrible. I’d like to be able to cancel her membership but it doesn’t seem as though there’s any way to do that right now… so I thought I’d try to raise a bit of cash for charity instead.

Losing Granddad took its toll on all of us, losing Granny to the same disease seems particularly cruel. She’s a hard one to put into words, she’s got wit which’ll give you whiplash paired with the kindest and most loving soul. She’s a woman with an answer for any question you could ever dream of asking. And, if she doesn’t quite have the answer then you bet she’ll fire right back at you with a sarcastic question, often dripping in rhetoric and paired with the most spectacular eyeroll. I’m extremely proud to say that I’ve inherited this very same 360 degree eyerolling technique. My Granny’s also a brilliant cook. There’s not a dish on Earth which could beat her famous beef
pie. Or her apple and blackberry crumble. Or her chips. Or her trifles. Or her fruit salads. As a kid, I felt like Granny’s kitchen was the centre of her power as my grandmother. I’d spend whole days racing all around the house in my plastic red racing car but if I ever dared to race through that kitchen I’d be greeted with a shrill ‘NOT IN MY KITCHEN!!!”. Obviously this meant that I’d do all I could to get as close as I possibly could to the kitchen without stepping across the border, just to wind her up and it’s only now that I realise just how annoying that must have been. It’s been a while since Granny’s set foot in her kitchen and sadly it looks ever more likely she might never cook again.

The old girl’s still got her wits about her though - she’s
more than happy to correct me on my Cornish geography and still tells me off when I’m winding her up. I’m grateful for every minute I can spend with her,
even if we’re just sitting in front of the TV watching some old sitcom from yesteryear.

So, deja-vu time. I’m walking 13 miles round Stonehenge, again. To raise money for Alzheimer’s UK, again. To remember my grandparents, again. This time, I’m walking to remember the look on my Granddad’s face when I’d visit him in his home – knowing that he loved me but couldn’t remember how
or why. I’m walking to remember the way that my Granny tells me she loves me and is happy to see me when I am home to visit. I’m walking to remember my
grandparents at their best but also the times they’ve been at their worst. I’m walking to raise money to further research a cure for this disease and help support those who fall victim to it.

Alright alright alright!

For every £5 you donate: Thank you, you have made my little day. To show my gratitude, I will dutifully select a meme from my stash and personally send it to you in the hopes that it makes you smile.

For every £10 you donate: Thank you, you have seriously made my day. To show my gratitude, I will listen to a song in your honour – send me the name and the artist and I’ll add it to my training playlist.

For every £20 you donate: Thank you, you’ve made my whole week. To show my gratitude, I will write you a (short) personalised poem. This can either be about you or on a topic of your choosing.

Now then

If we hit £200: Nice one team, this means I’ve hit the
target to be able to do the walk! My blistered feet are forever in your debt.

If we hit £500: I’ll cut my hair and donate a solid few inches to the Little Princess Trust (I’m in desperate need of a haircut so please give generously).

If we hit £1000: I’ll do something silly like the ice bucket or cinnamon challenge for the lolz. Those who know me well will know of my severe hatred and intolerance for cinnamon so you’d have to really have it in for me to help me raise this much cash.