I’m running the London Marathon for my grandma, Anne, who is currently living with Alzheimer’s. Sadly, ‘living’ is putting it nicely; the harsh reality of this disease means that grandma is currently bed bound, non verbal and being looked after 24/7 by a lovely team at her care home.

Grandma lived a wonderfully exciting life; she was an avid tennis player, travelled the world with grandpa and would often host fabulous parties. Yet, after her diagnosis 16 years ago, grandma’s memory slowly deteriorated and these moments became distant and eventually forgotten. The names and faces of loved ones became unrecognisable, including grandpa’s, her husband of 62 years.

In the UK, 34 million people know someone affected by Alzheimer’s. So our story is not unusual. However current estimates state that there are four cancer researchers for every one dementia researcher and that cancer research gets 13 times as much funding as dementia research.

I’m therefore proud to be running my first marathon to raise funds for BRACE who fund world-class clinical and laboratory research into Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia to find better treatments, achieve earlier diagnosis and, one day, a cure. Thank you in advance for any donations you are able to make.