I'm walking one million steps or 440 miles in 10 weeks from 20th July to 27th September to play my part in the fight against dementia.  This equates to around 6.29 miles each day or 44 miles each week which equals 100,000 steps.  Multiply this by 10 and you've got the big one!

I'm walking in memory of my Mum, , Linda Waring, who sadly passed away on 17th June 2020 from this disease.  As I am totally blind from birth, I will be guided by yellow Labrador Dual Purpose Assistance Dog Kizzy, aged 4, who will be ably supported by one of her main teachers - chocolate Labrador Owner-trained Dual Purpose Assistance Dog Hope, aged 9.  I will also sometimes be accompanied by retired yellow Labrador Alice, aged 10, & pet Chihuahuas Poppy & Peppa, aged 7 months & 5 months.  The Chihuahua puppies will come on some of the shorter walks, travelling by backpack if they get tired.

I read that £300 can fund a Dementia Researcher's work for 6 days.  So this is what I initially set out to try and raise, and amazingly, this has been achieved in the first six days of the challenge.  Anything we get after this will be a bonus.  So now, I am going to try and raise £600, which will fund another 3 days' research, go towards campaigning for change, or to support people directly in the community with dementia.

So how can you help?  There are 3 ways:

Making a donation to this great cause is always highly appreciated.  But there are other ways you can help to.  I invite you, as my friends and family, to join with me and show your support by walking some of the way with me and one of my dogs in your local area.  This may have to be a social distance walk for the time being, but it doesn't matter how big or small the walk is, whether it's 1 mile, 5 miles or more.  Or whether it's in a park or on a beach or on the road.  The fact that you are taking time out of your day to do this would mean a great deal and be immense.  And you would be uniting with me directly in fighting this awful disease.

Blind friends can do this too if you like.  It doesn't matter whether you take me with you on a free run with your dog, or even on one of your local block routes.  Every little helps, and every step counts towards that millionth one.  What is more, it would also mean that my dogs could get to walk a variety of routes, and not just the same ones I know here in Eccles.  I know they would enjoy this very much.

It will be a great way of catching up with everyone after LockDown, and we may even sneak in a little video to let followers know what we're up to and how the steps are progressing!  Or maybe just a photo if you are more comfortable with that.  I will also, with your permission of course, make sure that you get mentioned on my website, or if you like, you are very welcome to join me and raise money alongside me as part of a team.  I can certainly create one of these if I am asked by anyone.

Most importantly though, walking with me could be a nice way for those of you who knew her to remember my Mum by supporting a cause I know she would definitely have approved of, and hopefully have some fun along the way.  :-)  Wouldn't it be good, for example, during the 10 weeks, to do 10 of my walks with 10 different friends or family members scattered around the north west, or perhaps living further afield as many of my friends do.

Lastly, you can help by sharing my web page and by sharing or retweeting my fundraising posts.  The way I see it, the more people that know what I am doing, the more it might raise awareness of dementia, and inspire people to do something similar, or perhaps want to share or donate to the Alzheimer's Society.

Finally, I wanted to share a very special poem with you, written by my Niece Jordan Louise Carrington, and recited by herself and my Nephew Harvey recently at my Mum’s funeral on 30th June 2020. Jordan has given me permission to replicate it here, and if you are anything like me, it will make you laugh and cry at the same time.  It sums up my Mum to an absolute tea, and hopefully, if you read this, you will see just why it is that the dogs and me are walking in Mum’s memory

Another special fact to share with you is that my Mum’s funeral took place on the birthday of her own Mother, my lovely Nanna Hilda.  If they have “Best Butter” up in heaven, or chips with braising steak and onions and bubbling gravy, then I guarantee you my Nanna will be making hot buttered toast up there every morning and lovely big family teas like the one I’ve just mentioned.  She, like my Mum, was a wonderful woman, who worked hard all her life, and spent nearly all of it taking care of her family and trying to please other people.  It’s comforting to know that they are both together now, despite the grief that we are all still feeling. Thank you Jordan for allowing me to reproduce this beautiful poem you have written.

(“Grinny Green Teeth” is a legendary shark that lives in the canal in Runcorn near where Mum used to live with her parents when she was little.  Our Grandad Ernie would use him as a warning for us kids not to go near the water.)

("“Pops” is the friendly term we all use for Poplar 2000 at Lymm services, where Mum and other family members used to work.)

What should we do with Nanny’s ashes?

We have a problem, a question, one we wish we didn’t have to ask,
A really difficult dilemma, a very specific task.
Where should we put them? We have questioned endlessly,
We have asked friends and family and searched relentlessly.
We don’t want to scatter them anywhere, we want it to be just right,
A place that holds great sentiment, a location of a perfect site.
So, we wanted to take the time to share the stories we’ve been provided,
The memories, the reflections and what we have decided.

On Wednesday 17th June
You left our world undeniably too soon,
But Nanny, where should we scatter your ashes?

First we thought of spreading them, at her childhood home,
3 Wytherns Place Canal Street, where young Linda was known to roam.
In the broad and deep canal, we could sprinkle in the waters beneath,
But Nannies childhood nemesis might get them, the fearful Grinny Green Teeth.
So definitely not there, he’s already eaten too many civilians,
So we thought about her favourite past times and the obsession with winning her millions.
Nanny loved to gamble and was a fan of a premium bond,
So we could take them to Chester races and shout at the horses beyond.
We would take our black bin bags, and take our brollies in case of rain,
Eat our pound land pasties and count the money that we gain.
What about the national lottery? we could sprinkle her next to the machine,
She was forever in a syndicate, spending money on the lottery scene.
Even though these are good ideas, we didn’t feel they were just right,
So we put our heads together and persevered with more insight.

On Wednesday 17th June
You left our world undeniably too soon,
But Nanny, where should we scatter your ashes?

We thought about going that one step further, and taking them somewhere a far,
We know of just the right place, the Benidorm beach or a Benidorm bar.
Nanny was one of the regulars, and forever in the sun,
Professional sunbather we did call her, sun worshiper number one.
She was the first to use the ‘towel peg’, and I believe she invented this phrase
Two washing pegs she would use as she started the towel clipping craze.
If she wasn’t on the beach, she would be watching a turn in a club,
A Bacardi and coke with ice in one hand, or enjoying a fish and chip grub.
We thought yes Benidorm is the place, so we looked at flights with Ryan Air,
but given Corona unforeseen circumstances there are no flights at the moment there.

On Wednesday 17th June
You left our world undeniably too soon,
But Nanny, where should we scatter your ashes?

So we thought about somewhere more local, where did Nanny like to go?
The Grapes or the Beechwood Centre this was the place we know.
But then we thought about her garden, a place she loved to prune,
Forever pottering amongst the plants, or what about the living room?
We could place them on her favourite chair, with a Catherine Cookson film on play,
Next to a Daily mirror, or Kaylee’s chicken chow Mein on a dinner tray.
Nanny would always be asleep, on the sofa not in bed,
‘I’m bloody knackered’ was always the first thing that she said.
If she wasn’t dozing on the settee, she would partake in her favourite thing,
Cleaning, polishing, tidying, hoovering, dusting, mopping, washing, ironing.
If hoovering was a sport then Nanny would definitely win,
Grandad was in competition with the hoover and the bin.
I know it is quite funny, and this may sound like a wind up,
But Grandad always said he’d throw her ashes on the floor and hoover them all up.
Wherever Nanny went, she always made things clean,
We could put her in the pot wash at Pops because she always made this gleam.
We know that this is funny and sounds like a great suggestion,
But Nanny deserves somewhere more special, but where? Now that is the question.

On Wednesday 17th June
You left our world undeniably too soon,
But Nanny, where should we scatter your ashes?

To be honest it doesn’t matter, where the ashes are thrown,
Because regardless of where we scatter them, Nanny would definitely moan.
She loved to grumble and mutter, and her favourite word was no,
She would moan about where ever we put her, where ever she did go.

But on a serious note, and I hope you are listening Nanny,
It doesn’t matter at all where we put you, we just hope that you are happy.
So when we drink a Bacardi and coke, or sit and listen to waves on a beach,
When we clip our towels to our sunbeds, or clean our houses with bleach,
When we watch a singing turn, or we doze in front of the TV,
Visit the Beechwood Centre, the Grapes or Benidorm sea,
When we walk along Runcorn Canal, play the lottery or place a bet,
We will remember you and we will not forget.
Ashes are just ashes and you are much more than physical parts,
You will live forever in our memories, our stories and our hearts.

Around 225,000 people develop dementia every year, that's the equivalent to one person every three minutes. This year Memory Walks will be taking place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to raise money for a world without dementia. Once you donate, JustGiving will send your money directly to Alzheimer's Society. So it's the most efficient way to raise money, saving time and cutting costs for the charity. Let's take on dementia together!