Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I am raising funds for YPWD (Younger People With Dementia) Dementia is a subject that is very close to my heart as my Grampy had it and my Grandma currently has Alzheimers. I feel sometimes Dementia does not get the exposure that it should. When we think about dementia we often associate it 70+ year olds but did you know early onset dementia can affect people between the ages of 30 and 65?

As they age, individuals affected by Down syndrome have a greatly increased risk of developing a type of dementia that’s either the same as or very similar to Alzheimer’s disease.

Studies suggest that more than 75 percent of those with Down syndrome age 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease, nearly six times the percentage of people in this age group who do not have Down syndrome. Because people with Down syndrome live, on average, 55 to 60 years, they are more likely to develop younger-onset Alzheimer’s (Alzheimer’s occurring before age 65).

I have a very special person in my life who has Down syndrome so this is another reason I chose the charity YPWD.

Please read below about the fundraiser and the charity.

About The Fundraiser


Starting in May of this year, myself and three others (Tom Cummuskey, Rocky Rowbottom & Jamie Gannon) will be attempting to hike three national peaks, the highest mountains of England, Scotland and Wales. The plan is to climb each peak over a weekend with Snowdon being our start point on 23rd May (Thurs), Scafell Pike on 24th May (Fri) & Ben Nevis on 26th May 2019 (Sun).



We hope to reach the summit of each mountain via the hardest routes, which is why we have opted against the 24 hour challenge, which is traditionally completed by taking the fastest routes. We are also aiming to complete all three without a guide, relying solely on our navigation skills... which currently is a skill none of us have.

For those of you who know me you will know that this is a huge challenge for me and one that will require a lot of training and hard work! This will be my hardest challenge since trying to race an 8 year old up a  climbing wall and stopping half way...



The Routes 


The Crib Goch Route - Snowdon (7.2 mile route / 1,085m ascent), the
highest mountain in Wales


The Seathwaite Route - Scafell Pike (9.5 mile route / 978m ascent), the highest
mountain in England


The Carn Mor Dearg Arete Route - Ben Nevis (11.6 mile route / 1,345m ascent),
the highest mountain in Scotland



The total distance across all three is estimated at 45.5 km (28.3 miles), with
a total ascent of 3,408m




The Charity



YPWD (Berkshire) was set up in 2012 and our aim was to provide a range of support and ancillary services to younger people with dementia and to their families and carers, within the Berkshire West area covering Wokingham, Reading and Newbury.

 We sought to provide advice, help and support to enable people affected by young onset dementia to have a fuller life, offer assistance, whether practical, motivational or through a mix of communication, personal meetings and social events, to enable them to better cope with the challenges that faced them.  We have since expanded to provide our services within the whole of Berkshire.

We aimed to work closely with the NHS, local charities and Social Services to plug gaps in the provision that was not funded publicly, for example:
* Education and social evenings for those affected by young onset dementia
* Support groups and activities specifically for carers
* Therapeutic and social projects such as gardening, walking, theatre and heritage outings
* Support workers with specialist training
* The provision of respite care for those affected by young onset dementia

Initial objectives to widen support for those affected by young onset dementia to:
* Encourage the growth of services for YPWD throughout Berkshire using the Wokingham model as an example
* Provide suitable training in dementia in younger people 
* Raise awareness of dementia in younger people