As you may be aware, my lovely mum died suddenly at the very beginning of this year. She had been battling Alzheimer's disease for many years, but the end when it came was from a massive stroke, soon after her 85th birthday.

Over the past 20 years I've witnessed first hand how Alzheimer's Disease can devastate not only an individual's life, but the whole family too. Mum gradually went from being a capable, confident and active head of our family, to an insecure, vulnerable, frightened and frustrated old lady, during this period. Not only does dementia rob the individual of their memory and ability to think rationally, it also robs them of their independence, confidence and capacity for social interaction.

As a society, we now face a huge increase in the number of people being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, as we're all living longer and the implications going forward are staggering.

Vital funds are needed to help research and raise awareness, with the ultimate aim of finding a cure. Please help with whatever donation you can for this vital cause, so that ultimately we all feel the benefit.