My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's five years ago.  He's doing pretty well overall although, as time goes on, he's much more confused and increasingly reliant on help and support for everyday tasks. Dementia is a cruel and unforgiving disease which irreversibly changes the lives of those affected by the illness and all those around them. It is now the leading cause of death in the UK and many other places around the world. There is currently no cure.

Dad is far from alone. 850,000 people in the UK are living with dementia. More than 200,000 more will develop dementia this year. It's a global problem. The World Health Organisation estimates that 50 million people around the world have dementia with 10 million new cases each year.

Seeing the affects of Alzheimer's close up since moving back to Cheshire at the start of the Covid pandemic has driven me to want to do everything I can to support those fighting to find better treatments and ultimately a cure for dementia - so others don't have to face the disease in future.

The dedicated team at Alzheimer's Research UK are working around the clock to help make life-changing breakthroughs possible – and one day, to find a cure.  I can't think of a better cause to support.

As for my challenge, I thought I'd set about walking across the Pyrenees, camping along the way, starting in Biarritz on the Atlantic coast and ending in Barcelona on the Mediterranean. (I've combined an Atlantic coastal route, the GR10 across the Pyrenees and part of the GR92 along the Costa Brava). It's just over 1200km in total and, perhaps most significantly, involves climbing the equivalent of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis, more than 40 times. It's quite an undertaking.

I'd hugely grateful for your support, all of which will go directly to a fantastic organisation working to make a real difference in the fight against dementia. 

You can follow my progress on Twitter and Instagram:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaddyJDavies

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/patrickjdavies/

Many thanks, Patrick

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