I’m incredibly proud and grateful to be running the 2026 London Marathon for Alzheimer’s Society, in memory of my wonderful Grandma, who sadly passed away in August 2024 after living with dementia for four years.

She was always a massive part of my life. My sister and I would stay with my grandparents during the school holidays. We’d go over for Sunday dinners, and she would cook amazing food, dressed to the nines and having made four different desserts for us to choose from. She was always super organised and genuinely interested in what all six of her grandchildren were up to.

With the diagnosis came a big change in who we all knew as 'Grandma'. She started to forget birthdays, got grandchildren mixed up, and we’d often come away thinking, "That’s not like Grandma." Things went downhill reasonably quickly. At one point, she pre-arranged her end-of-life ceremony four times over and would wake up in the night convinced that my mum or aunt was in labour and needed to get to the hospital, even though neither had been pregnant in over 15 years.

With the toll this was taking on my then 86-year-old grandad, we were fortunate to be able to move her into a full-time residential facility within walking distance of their home. We still visited, but it became harder to recognise the woman she once was. Although she couldn’t remember our names and sometimes confused her daughter with her granddaughter, she was always elated to see us — there must have been something deep down that still recognised, "This is someone I love."

So, in short, having seen and experienced the impact of Alzheimer’s — and how hard it is for families to manage and support someone living with it — I’m running the London Marathon in support of the Alzheimer’s Society. I’m raising money for those in need of support, and in the hope of better understanding the causes of Alzheimer’s — and, one day, a cure or a way to delay its onset.

I can’t say I’m looking forward to running 42.2km — but I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do so while raising funds for such an important cause. Every donation truly counts in helping make a difference in the lives of those affected by dementia. Please consider donating whatever you can, for my tired legs and for this very worthy cause.