We are pleased to announce that Middlechild have nominated a charity, for which we will be attempting to raise £10K for, over the course of the next 12 months.
This will be the first time that Middlechild has set itself this kind of a charitable-challenge and over the course of the year, we will be arranging various fund-raising events that will be open to everyone to take part in, to help us reach our target and do something really positive for an extremely worthwhile cause.
There will be further announcements when these are confirmed but it could be anything from; a sponsored group Tough Mudder, to a Brighton bake sale; a bungee jump to a Wandsworth dog-wash-athon.
If anyone has any ideas for how we might be able to raise money towards our target, we would love to hear them. Or, if there was something you were planning on doing yourself anyway this year and you were able to raise sponsorship money for our cause, that would be amazing.
If we’re successful, we’d like to do this every year, each year choosing a different charity. We would like that charity to have some kind of a connection to Middlechild, either directly, or because it means something to one of our team.
This year we have chosen to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society, and our Head of Production, Clare, can tell you why…
“Last year, my Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Although it wasn’t a surprise to us to be told of the diagnosis, his symptoms were becoming more obvious, it is never easy to be given confirmation of a degenerative disease. He is only 73 years old. Within 3 days of the diagnosis, someone from the Alzheimer’s Society phoned my Mum to let her know the support that they could offer to both her and my Dad and sent them a pack of information in the post.
Since then, someone has phoned monthly to check up on how both my Mum & Dad are, to make sure that they have access to what they need and to ensure they understand the services available to them which include various support groups and activities. Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s can be draining both emotionally and physically and it is really comforting for my Mum to be able to speak to people who understand what she is experiencing and can empathise.”
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. The word dementia describes a set of symptoms that can include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These symptoms occur when the brain is damaged by certain diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease. There are more than 520,000 people in the UK with Alzheimer’s disease. It is a progressive disease. This means that gradually, over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens, more symptoms develop. Although memory difficulties are usually the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer’s, someone with the disease will also go on to develop problems with other aspects of thinking, reasoning, perception or communication. Over time, the person will need more and more day-to-day support from those who care for them.
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there is a lot that can be done to enable someone to live well with the condition. The Alzheimer’s Society are the only UK charity investing in research into dementia care, cause, cure and prevention. Alzheimer’s Society’s National Dementia Helpline offers information, advice and emotional support to people affected by dementia. Their 3,000 services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland offer information, care and support to people with dementia, their families, friends and carers.
We think this is an extremely worthy cause for us to raise money for this year and £10K will go a long way to helping the Alzheimer’s Society manage the impact and subsequent difficulties that a diagnosis will have on an individual and their family.
