It seems like only yesterday that Planet Vending shared the news that N&W’s Ian Douglass, together with his daughter, Abi, (pictured), were planning a 6 day trek along The Great Wall of China in order to raise much-needed funds for the Alzheimer’s Society.
In fact, we published that story 11 months ago and – lo and behold – Ian and Abi are setting off tomorrow, 12 October, on their mission.
As things stand, they’ve a way to go if they’re to reach their personal target of £10k, so Ian and Abi have asked us if we could ask you to dig deep, to help them to make a success of their very personal crusade…
‘People who know me and my family, know that this cruel disease has taken the life of my beautiful Granddad’, Abi said. ‘And my Grandma, who was once a strong independent woman, is now facing everyday life with Alzheimer’s. As a family, we’ve received exceptional support from the Alzheimer’s Society, which has helped us to cope with the death of Granddad, my Grandma’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and her continuing care. This disease has no mercy. There’s no way to control it, let alone cure it.’
It’s a double-whammy that would devastate any family.
‘We’ve walked a section of Offa’s Dyke and we did The Peak District Half Marathon by way preparation’, Ian said today, ‘and I’ve upped my attendance at the gym. Hopefully we’ve done enough, but nothing can really prepare you for The Great Wall.’
It’s not the actual distance that’s the main challenge – 100km in six days sounds eminently doable – in fact it’s the terrain that’s the trouble, as Ian explained: ‘We’ll be walking for between six and eight hours every day and on Day 3, we’ll be walking up something called ‘Heaven’s Ladder’, two-hundred odd steps straight up that takes a couple of hours in itself.’
‘The wall was built to ward off invaders, so all the steps are uneven to prevent people running up them. That’s what makes it a little more challenging.’
If you haven’t already done so, there’s still time for you to support this intrepid father and daughter team as they strive to give something back to the organisation that’s doing so much to help them through the heartache that’s part and parcel of living – and dying – with Alzheimer’s.
You can find their Just Giving page here. Thanks.
