I'm raising money for ARUK as more research is needed to defeat this devastating condition. Most of us know someone living with dementia - today's there's over 850,000 people diagnosed in the UK. This number is predicted to reach 2 million by 2051. 

I've watched the Great North Run but never run a half marathon - the most I normally manage is 6 miles or so - on the flat -  so I've got my work cut out! I'm very pleased I'm not doing it alone. I'm  part of a team of 40 people who are hoping to collectively raise £40,000. 

Dementia costs the UK economy more than cancer and hear disease combined, but currently gets 13 times less funding than cancer. Alzheimers Research UK receive not government funding for their research and are completely dependent on donations to fund their work.

• £20 pays for 1 hour of pioneering dementia research

• £100 could provide the tools for scientists to map 10,000 genes, identifying targets for the development of new treatments

• £500 covers the cost of a brain scan to track the effectiveness of new drug treatments, improving diagnosis and understanding of how Alzheimer's wreaks havoc in the brain

• £1,000 pays for reagents, unique chemicals that are crucial for successfully growing cells in a laboratory ready for disease study

• £2,500 enables researchers to buy synthetically made amyloid to better understand this hallmark Alzheimer's protein

If your interested in finding out more about what ARUK do please check out their website www.alzheimersreasearchuk.org

 Anything you can give will help to make a difference.

Niki x

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.