I'm running my first half marathon to support 2 great organisations in memory of my Grandad!

I was recently reading the Christmas letter my Grandad wrote to his friends in 1996. He wrote of 2 proud moments that year. The first was receiving an OBE from the Queen. The second was my birth, and this apparently topped the first!

If you’ve ever thought of me as someone who keeps busy then Grandad was the influence on the Lees family to that effect.

Grandad was truly remarkable. In humble beginnings, he left school at 14 to start earning money for the family. From early on, he showed integrity, determination, and an entrepreneurial spirit (evidenced by selling handmade nail polish to the women at his workplace!). These virtues meant he was able to work his way through his company, eventually becoming the Lees of Appleyard Lees and President of the Council of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (it was for his services in this role that he was awarded the OBE).

What I’ve come to realise is that despite Grandad’s obvious pride at these achievements, that pride paled in comparison to his dedication to his faith and his family. He was a local preacher in the Methodist church for 60 years, and served the community at the weekly shoppers' lunch by being their Chief Plate Scraper with the same conscientiousness and honour as in his role leading a business. He built a beautiful doll’s house and other toys for my sister and me when we were young and supported us financially when we were at university, prioritising an education he never had over luxuries for himself.

Grandad was a great storyteller. I remember sitting round the dining table and asking my mum to translate the broad Yorkshire anecdotes for me when I was curious of the laughter they received. As Grandad’s dementia got worse, we relied on our own memories of the anecdotes to fill in the gaps (for example, by working out “that woman” he’d met was the Queen). As I’m sure many people who have watched a loved one with dementia know, it is painful to watch someone become confused and frustrated by a world which stops making sense. We were able to see how my Grandma’s love for him kept him feeling as safe and comfortable as possible, and how small things like a dementia-friendly radio that let him sing along (quite forcefully!) to hymns, made life a tiny bit easier for them both. I wanted to raise money for Dementia UK to help others with this condition gain that kind of support.

I am also raising money for the church at which Grandad was a member - Southgate Methodist in Elland. Grandad was incredibly committed to the church and would have wanted it to be supported in memory of him.

As I’m plodding along on my long training runs, I’m trying to remember the much more real hardships my Grandad faced in his lifetime and the grit he showed in overcoming them with grace and humour. My faith and values have been positively influenced by him, perhaps more than I consciously realise. I would love it if you would accompany me on this journey of commemoration by donating to one of the two charities I have chosen.