The Alzheimer’s Society hosted a memory walk in Nottingham aiming to raise over £210,000 towards tackling dementia and spreading awareness.
The event took place on Saturday, October 11, at Wollaton Park with over 1,300 people in attendance.
From 10am, participants had the opportunity to take part in various pre-walk activities such as Zumba, a performance by the Dementia Choir, food stalls, and speeches from advocates such as actor Vicky McClure.
There are currently estimated to be over 980,000 people in the UK living with dementia and over 1/3 of these people have not been diagnosed.
By 2040, this number is expected to rise to 1.4 million which is more than a 40 percent increase.
The cost of dementia in the UK for 2040 is expected to be around £90 billion, meaning there is an urgent need to take action so we can meet our care needs in the future.
It is really important to the Alzheimer’s Society that this event is accessible to all who wish to attend.
Phoebe Gibson, 26, Bespoke Events Fundraising Manager for the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “At every memory walk we have a shorter 2km accessible route that is welcome to anyone with wheelchairs, pushchairs, or unable to walk the longer 6km route.
“We’ve also introduced accessible seating at our events so people can take a seat at the main site if they don’t want to participate in the pre-walk activities.”
She added: “We make sure that all of our staff are really well trained in helping every single type of person if needed.”
Events like these simply couldn’t run without the help of staff and volunteers, whether this be through directing walkers throughout the routes, registering participants, or handing out flyers and snacks.
On the day, Jodie Jarecki, 27, Regional fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Society, was giving out hydration jellies to keep participants hydrated on their walk.
These jellies are also great for dementia patients who struggle to keep down liquids as they are made from 95 percent water with added electrolytes and vitamins, designed to help increase your fluid intake.
Many participants were walking in memory of loved ones who have sadly passed due to dementia.
Everyone had the chance to take a moment to reflect at the memory tree, where they could write down who they were walking for on a tag and hang it on one of the branches.
Demi Taylor, 31, and Jazmin Taylor, 24, were walking in remembrance of their grandma, who passed seven years ago.
Demi said: “We wanted to come today to do something to support the charity that helped her and also to help spread awareness.”
“One of my favourite memories with my grandma is when she used to take me line dancing when I was younger.”
Demi Taylor
She added: “One of my favourite memories with my grandma is when she used to take me line dancing when I was younger.”
For those unable to attend one of the organised events, there is also the opportunity to take part in your own memory walk where you pick the date, location and route.
You can register for the virtual walk on the Alzheimer’s Society website: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/events-and-fundraising/join-event/memory-walk/take-on-own-memory-walk
