My mum Louise has young onset Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia. It’s been a little over 4 years since my mum’s diagnosis, but she has been living with what we now know to be dementia for around a decade now. It has impacted every aspect of her life and irreparably changed the kind, intelligent, loving, patient, funny, and special person that she is.

Every day has its challenges and, as a family, we’re very lucky in many ways that we can support my mum, and each other. But it’s never been easy. It was over a year from my mum’s diagnosis before we found some hope again. And that came in the form of Vicky McClure’s Our Dementia Choir.

After seeing their documentary on the tv, my dad reached out to them and from the very first time they went, my mum adored it. When the music’s playing, she’s back. When she’s singing and dancing, it’s like nothing has changed. She was born to perform and the choir has given so much back to her, given something that is her’s again. They’ve also provided invaluable support to my dad, and I won’t ever be able to put into words how grateful I am for everything they are and everything they do.

But what I can do is try my best to help them keep going so that they can continue to be there for more families like ours. More people like my mum.

In 2026, I’m taking on what I’m calling my ‘Lulu in a tutu’ challenge - taking part in a series of events all over the country in, you guessed it, a tutu! Just to keep it fun (and also add in an extra challenge as I’m not sure how comfortable a tutu is toward the end of a half marathon…)

Here is the list of events I will be taking part in:

▪️Sheffield Half Marathon, 29/03/2026 ✅

▪️Tissington Trail Half Marathon, 26/04/2026

▪️Edinburgh Half Marathon, 24/05/2026

▪️Great Manchester Run 10k, 31/05/2026

▪️Great North Run, 13/09/2026

▪️Robin Hood Half Marathon, 27/09/2026

▪️Bournemouth Half Marathon, 11/10/2026

There will be more to come, these are just the ones confirmed so far. I’m hoping to fit some of my own challenges into the gap in the summer, but still working on plans for those!

I’ll be training throughout the year so please give me a wave if you see me running around - I’ll need the boost! I really hope you can support me and help raise some vital funds for this incredibly important cause.

Any amount is much appreciated, but I know times are tough so a share is as good as a donation.

Follow me on Strava (https://strava.app.link/jOf1EZA6VYb) and keep an eye on my fundraising page for updates! Thank you ❤️