Rare Dementia Support e-letter October 2019
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Journeys with a difference
Our most adventurous fundraisers yet!
Team fever took hold of our fundraisers in the summer of 2019! Thank you to each and every one of you who has taken part in activities over the past few months. Here are a few stories of our team successes!
In memory of his wife Lynette, Jonathan Harmer and friend Chris, aka 'The Gruesome Twosome' drove their 'fairly' trusty 20-year-old VW Polo 10,000 miles from Prague to Ulan Ude (400 miles from the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar) for the Mongol Rally. They raised nearly £6,500 over their incredible journey sadly losing the Polo along the way but happily returning safe and sound despite this!
In June, Ellen Franklin and her partner Jack Burgess raised over £1,500 by climbing Macchu Picchu for RDS and FTD Research combined. We are also wishing Avril and Michael Staunton the best of luck on their Peruvian adventure in November.
Liz Sherwood and her band of 13 friends walked 462 miles in 24 hours to complete the Three Peaks Challenge in July, scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon and raising an extraordinary £15,200!
Just two months later Stephanie Roe and her colleague Beatrice Caldwell also faced the same mountainous challenge raising over £6,200. Stephanie wanted to help raise funds as her mother has been diagnosed with Posterior Cortical Atrophy aged just 64. Stephanie attests to the value and need for Rare Dementia Support Groups below:
"We went to these meetings and instantly it became apparent that they understood all the challenges we were facing. They offered support for us and practical solutions. There was no judgment, only kindness, and that was also hugely important."
Stephanie Roe
Tim Heal, who lives with Primary Progressive Aphasia, organised a golf day in September at Ross-on-Wye golf club where over 40 players took part. The day included an auction which was a roaring success and Tim raised more than £4,600! Thank you, Tim!
Coming up on 8 December we have a team taking part in the 5k Santa Run. If you are feeling like a stretch before the festivities begin, do join us! To find out more about any of our challenges or events, please click below.
Mission: Possible Gala Dinner
Please Save the Date for the Mission: Possible Gala Dinner for Rare Dementia Support
When: 29 February 2020
Where: Cavalry and Guards Club, 127 Piccadilly, London W1J 7PX
Tickets: £150 per ticket/ please email for a table price
Our mission: To raise £100,000 for the expansion of Rare Dementia Support
How you can get involved
We are looking for special auction prizes, sponsors for elements of the event and companies that may want to advertise in the event programme. If you have any corporate contacts or work for a company that may be interested in getting involved, please do get in touch.
Reflection and remembrance
We would like to invite you to our service of remembrance on Sunday 3 November. The service will be held in the Chapel at The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery from 3-5pm and will be led by UCLH Trust chaplain Peter Harries. This will offer an opportunity to reflect and remember friends and loved ones with others who share similar experiences.
Space is limited, so if you would like to attend, please register your interest by emailing, using the button below. We will have light refreshments following the service. We hope to see you there.
You can also share a message of remembrance or thanks this Christmas. Our hand-made Christmas tree tags are now available. Simply buy your tag and email your message (approx 40 words) along with your name. We will add your message to our festive tags and hang it on the Christmas tree in The National Hospital.
*The last date that we can complete and hang tags is Friday 20 December*
Rare Dementia Support at Christmas
It’s time to start loosening the vocal chords and getting into the festive spirit for our annual Christmas Carol Concert on Thursday 12 December!
This year our hugely popular event has moved to Covent Garden’s Crown Court Church while our regular home of St George’s in Queen Square is undergoing vital roof repairs. Tickets are now available online and it is likely to be packed out again, with uplifting performances from The Julius Singers, opera singer Louisa Petais and many more. Readings will be given by Sebastian Faulks, Emilia Fox, Robert Glenister, Sylvestra Le Touzel and Stephen Mangan.
Doors open at 6.30pm with a welcoming glass of mulled wine and a festive mince pie, with the concert starting at 7.15pm. This year the concert will be followed by a drinks reception and nibbles in the hall below the church. The suggested donation for attendance is £25: book your tickets via our shop below.
Christmas cards are also now available: We have seven new designs this year including a dedicated card for Rare Dementia Support – 'Sunset at Taiko Bridge' (pictured above) – click below to buy.
For more events, personal stories and how you can get involved, please visit
www.nationalbrainappeal.org, or follow us on Twitter @raredementia and on Facebook
Theresa, Marcelle, Eva, Anna, Cara, Alexis, Jane, Tina, Kim, Nicky, Shaun, Julia, and Seb
