TV personality, author, podcast host and presenter Vicky Pattison might have conquered the jungle on the hit ITV show I’m a Celebrity, but she now faces a fresh challenge- embarking on a gruelling 13 or 26-mile trek in Wiltshire.
The former Geordie Shore star will be putting on her walking boots at Alzheimer’s Society's Trek26 Stonehenge event on September 3, alongside her new fiancé Ercan Ramadan and thousands of others.
In an emotional Instagram post last month, Pattison revealed her beloved granddad, David Birdsey, passed away aged 92. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2010.
Speaking about her loss, she noted: "You were the best grandad I could have ever asked for and I feel incredibly grateful to you for everything you taught me and all the beautiful memories you gave me.
"You taught me the importance of hard work, kindness, and above all else family values. I promise to honour your memory and live in a way that I know would make you proud- travelling lots, having adventures and putting my family first.
“The easy part is signing up to take part in Alzheimer’s Society’s Trek26, as it only takes a few minutes, but the hard part is to motivate me to train for it!" she added.
"I just know, when I’m up there, trekking next to Stonehenge, taking in the beauty of it all and surrounded by hundreds of other very passionate people walking to stop dementia in its tracks, it will be so worth it.
“I’m proud to be trekking for Alzheimer’s Society in honour of my grandad. My family has seen first-hand how much dementia can take from someone you love.
"It’s been hard to see how the condition affected my once strong and active grandad, as well as our whole family."
There are currently 7,900 people living with dementia in Wiltshire. Money raised from Alzheimer’s Society’s Trek26 will go towards the charity’s vital services, including its Dementia Connect support line, which has been used over six million times since the start of the pandemic.
Two years on, Alzheimer’s Society continues to be flooded with calls from people in Wiltshire seeking vital support for their loved ones.
The Stonehenge route will take in a historic landscape dominated by the world-famous stone circle, including water meadows, high ridges and quiet woodland, as well as Salisbury’s 13th-century cathedral.
To sign up visit the charity’s page here.
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