It's the summer, so it must be time to start training for the Royal Parks Half.

Those of you who know me well, will know why I subject myself to this annual ritual. My big brother, Chris, died in 2015. So I run each year for a cause which was close to his heart, and remains close to mine: dementia research. Our Dad was diagnosed in 2012, at the age of 58. Now, he needs help to remember how to put on his pyjamas, what to do with jam, how to open a gate. It's hard to remember the Dad who raised us, and it is desperately, desperately sad to watch him decline day by day with no hope of any treatment, let alone a cure. 

By 2025, there will be over a million people in the UK living with dementia. But dementia research is desperately underfunded. For every person living with dementia, the annual cost to the UK economy is over £30,000 and yet only £90 is spent on dementia research. There are also not enough researchers and clinicians specialising in dementia: for every researcher working on dementia, there are four working on cancer. 

So, I'm cracking out the trainers once again. I've made my own donation to cover the target, so there is no pressure, but if you do want donate to the cause, I'd love to have your support.