Join Arianne in the Brighton Memory Walk

Arianne with her grandad, Ted, and two brothers Josh Phillips (left) and Loui Heath (right)

Arianne McGarrigle is urging people to register for the Alzheimer’s Society’s Memory Walk to help the charity raise money for research and services.

Arianne and her family had their lives transformed when both her grandparents, Ted and Rosemary Tuffnell, were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Ted passed away last November and his wife, Rosemary, is living with the condition today.

Arianne has signed up for the Memory Walk in Brighton to raise awareness of the condition and is asking others to follow suit.

She said: “I’m walking in memory of my lovely grandad who passed away with Alzheimer’s disease last year.

“He lived with the condition for quite some time and I saw the way it completely transformed his life.

“My nana also has dementia and I think it’s so important to raise awareness of the condition to improve the lives of people who are living with it today.

“I know my grandad would be really proud to see me walking with so many other people affected by dementia and I hope raising money for the Memory Walk will help us find a cure in the future.”

The Alzheimer’s Society is pledged to invest £150 million in the next decade in the search for better treatments and work towards a cure.

A total of 600 supporters have already registered to take part in the Brighton Memory Walk, which will be on Saturday September 8.

For the first time, there will also be a Brighton night Memory Walk, taking place on Saturday October 13.

More than 3,000 people in Brighton and Hove are living with dementia and last year’s Memory Walk, attended by over 2,300 people, raised more than £222,000 to fund research and provide support.

Elisa Vaughan, Alzheimer’s Society operations manager for Sussex, said: “Dementia is now the UK’s biggest killer, with someone developing it every three minutes.

“We’re calling on family, friends and teams from across the South East to unite against dementia this autumn.

“Walk with us at Brighton Memory Walk to help defeat dementia.

“Dementia devastates lives, but every pound raised through memory Walk will help us provide vital information and support, improve care, fund research and create lasting change for people affected by the condition.

“We are urging people to unite against dementia and register now at memorywalk.org.uk”