Alzheimer's Research UK

I knew I wanted to grow my confidence, and the only way to do that is being outside of my comfort zone.

I remember giving a flash talk and a poster presentation at the Midlands Alzheimer's Research UK conference two weeks into my PhD.

Having just started my PhD, I was feeling quite apprehensive.

Knowing that dementia research was new to me, I definitely fell out of my depth.

Would you like to change the future of dementia if they seem interested? Either hand them a joint dementia research leaflet or we have a wonderful service called our callback function on our website where you can take someone's information, literally a name and a contact number.

And one of our wonderful charity partners, so that's Alzheimer's Society, Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Scotland, can phone that individual back then and take them through the service in more detail over the phone at a later date.

But we just, I suppose it is, it's just getting comfortable with bringing research into the conversation at the right time.

But finding the right time can also be tricky because as we will all know, receiving that diagnosis can be a really overwhelming time.

Their long-term goal has been to raise significant sums for dementia research and support.

They've worked with organizations including Alzheimer's Research UK and the Alzheimer's Society of Ireland, and they've discovered that one of the most effective ways to get people talking is to do something people simply can't ignore.

Run.

A lot.

Makes sense.

The slightly less deranged bit is that I'm doing it to raise more than 500,000 for Alzheimer's Research UK and the Golf Foundation in memory of my mum, who died earlier this year from dementia-related causes.

I might cry.

Oh, no, not cry.

how likely you are to get Alzheimer's or dementia.

And Alzheimer's Research UK specifically cautioned that the study isn't enough to recommend HRT simply for dementia prevention.

I wouldn't have thought it was.

But that does sound very promising.

So you know, what is, what is the problem? What is the need and the opportunity? And thinking about what is the moment? Why is now the moment that a donor needs to take interest? And then, what is the vision of that change that's gonna drive in the world? And then finishing by saying almost, "That's where my organization comes in," so putting yourself in that picture.

And one example that we talked about at CIOF, because I was doing that talk with Peter Hailwood, who works for Alzheimer's Research UK, is that there was a moment when they were running their Defeat Dementia campaign, when there was just so much happening politically and socially around dementia.

There was so much surround sound that almost that became the moment.

But now they're moving into their next campaign.

Are you doing it for charity?

Yes, I'm doing it for Alzheimer's Research UK.

How can people find out a little bit more about your particular quest? We got a GoFundMe page or a JustGiving page or something like that? He's fallen down a well.

We'll get him on with a better...