People across London are today being called on to unite against dementia by signing up for Alzheimer’s Society’s Marathon and Half Marathon Memory Walk at starting at Southwark Park bandstand and continuing down the Thames on 12 October.
Former EastEnders actress Kellie Shirley, is urging people to register for the event to help the charity raise money to improve the lives of people affected by the disease.
Alzheimer’s Society has pledged to invest £150 million in the next decade to search for better treatments and work towards a cure for dementia.
Kellie is taking part in London Marathon Memory Walk and asking for supporters to follow suit by going to memorywalk.org.uk.
Kellie said, “This will be my first Memory Walk. I’ve been inspired to take part after running the London Marathon with Barbara’s Revolutionaries earlier this year.
“Barbara Windsor is a massive influence in my life. She was my mentor when I was at EastEnders and we’ve remained close friends. Taking part in the London Marathon in her honour was special. It gave all of Barbara’s Revolutionaries an opportunity to bond, clear our heads and raise money for a fantastic charity!
“This time I’m taking on a new challenge – Alzheimer’s Society’s London Memory Walk Marathon! I’ve run three London Marathons although I’ve never walked one, so this felt like the perfect time to give it a go. Research costs a lot of money and dementia is massively underfunded, it will affect 1 in 3 of us although through fund raising and uniting together we CAN change things.
“The London Memory Walk is going to be amazing experience, we’ll get to walk along the river, taking in all the gorgeous sights our capital has to offer. I think it’ll be uplifting too, it’s not like running a marathon – it’s not a race. We all get to walk together and celebrate the life of our loved ones, knowing that every step we take will help towards raising vital funds to support others.”
More than 52,000 people in London are living with dementia and fundraising money raised at events like Memory Walk goes towards providing support and vital dementia research.
