Last Sunday I was thrilled to have the honour of starting the 2010 Watford & Dacorum Memory Walk in aid of the Alzheimer's Society. Authors rarely think of themselves as celebrities as we lead pretty solitary lives either heads down in a library or hunched in front of a computer. But the AS is very close to my heart and I've written in the national press about the shared link of gardening between me and my mother who suffered from Alzheimer's and the comfort that it brought me in her final days and after.
So it was just terrific to see so many supporters turn out for this fund-raiser - much needed. Final figures aren't in yet but over 100 took part and the aim is to raise £15,000 from this walk through the beautiful heritage site of Cassiobury Park. In the Watford area alone there are about 15,000 people living with dementia so support is desperately needed for them and their families. The Memory Walks are held across the country are the Alzheimer's Society's biggest fund-raising events and growing every year. Unlikely other 'races', these are great fun for all the family and movingly unite everyone who has been touched by living with dementia. Thank you to everyone who took part.
