Northampton childhood friends take on personal marathon for family members with dementia

Two friends from Northampton are on a personal mission to raise hundreds of pounds for a charity close to their hearts.

Jemma Dorling, from Weston Favell, and Alison McLaughlin, from Abington, are jogging 50 miles each this month for Dementia UK.

Jemma wanted to do something special as a tribute to her nan, Mary Dawson, 87, who now lives at Nazareth House care home after she was diagnosed with alzheimer's and dementia. And, Alison is running for her dad, Terry, who also has dementia.

Jemma, who works with children in care, described her nan once as the life and soul of the party but now Mary struggles to remember her grandchildren when she sees them.

She said: "Nan was lovely and she had a dry sense of humour. We used to have family gatherings all the time, she was a real people person.

"She was the head of the family and we would go around on Christmas and birthdays, her house would be where we would meet as a family.

"Now she doesn't even recognise half of us and she doesn't like many people around her. When she asks to go home she says to Liverpool and she says things like 'because her mum will want me home soon'."

Before Mary moved into the care home two years ago, she lived in Cliftonville where she was married and raised her six children, and worked at Index Cafe in Abington Street.

The Jog 50-mile Challenge is virtual, which means Jemma and Alison, are working seperatley to clock up the miles before November ends.

"This challenge is personal to me," Jemma added. "I can't do a lot for my nan but my mum and her three sisters would do everything for her when they could be involved with her care.

"When my nan sees my mum you see a glimpse of who she was before. As her granddaughter, I can't do much but this is a tribute to her and hopefully she will maybe understand what we are doing."

So-far, Jemma is on course to raise £300 and Alison, a dementia care nurse, is hoping to reach £250 but the pair welcome further donations through their fundraising page on Facebook here.