In October I will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London for a cause that has become increasingly important to me over the last few years - giving help to those living with dementia today, and providing hope for the future.

Having never ran further than a 10k previously, I'll be taking part on 12 October for Alzheimer’s Society, a charity working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Sadly, Alzheimer's is a disease that has hit close to home after my Dad received a diagnosis in 2022. Dementia is a cruel disease, both for those living with it and for families affected by it. There is no cure and there is no timeline for how symptoms will develop. No current medications stop, slow down or reverse dementia, while some can help to just 'manage' symptoms.

The more positive news is that there a number of organisations, like Alzheimer's Society, who are improving support services and conducting ground-breaking research into better ways of treating and caring for people with dementia. While developments and findings for new treatments will come too late for my Dad, I want to do my bit for the next generation of people who will battle with the disease. Dementia is the UK's biggest health and social care crisis (Alzheimer's Society), so this can't come soon enough.

Any donations - large or small - would be massively appreciated and mean a lot. Even the equivalent of a pint down the local will go a long way!

Thanks everyone,

Matt