GLL (Greenwich Leisure Ltd) it teaming up with the Alzheimer’s Society’s to raise awareness of dementia.
People who complete the Bath Memory Walk in September will receive a free three-day pass to GLL sports and leisure centres in the Somerset city when they show their medals at reception.
Memory Walk is the flagship fundraising event of the Alzheimer’s Society and will be taking place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in September and October.
This year, Bath will be holding its first ever Memory Walk. The event will take place on Sunday 18 September at the Bath Recreation Ground, bringing together more than 2,500 walkers across generations.
The charity has agreed with GLL leisure centres that all participants will be able to present their Memory Walk medals in return for free use of the pool or gym at the Bath, Culverhay and Keynsham sports and leisure centres.
The offer will be available to walkers until Monday 31 October and will be limited to one pass per person.
Money raised from the walk will be used to both help better support those living with dementia and to find a cure. More than 2,600 people in Bath and northeast Somerset have dementia. From the money raised, £650 would pay for a brain scan to help diagnosis, £100 would allow someone with dementia to attend ten Singing for the Brain activity sessions, and £20 would cover a month’s attendance at an Alzheimer’s Society’s dementia café.
Steve Beere, GLL healthwise coordinator for Bath and northeast Somerset, said: “GLL’s healthwise team are working closely with Alzheimer’s Society and the Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Dementia Action Alliance to raise awareness of dementia.
“We have recently pledged to become a dementia-friendly business and have put action plans in place to work towards this goal. We plan to offer a Dementia Friends awareness session to staff and will be supporting our local Memory Walks.”
Research shows that taking regular exercise can help reduce the risk of getting dementia, and there is also evidence to show that exercising outside in a rural environment or green spaces is beneficial for people’s mental health and overall wellbeing.
Chris Atkinson, Alzheimer’s Society operations manager for Bath and northeast Somerset, said: “We already know that what’s good for the heart is good for the head, and regular exercise is one of the best ways to help reduce your risk of developing dementia. That’s why it is great that GLL are supporting people in Bath to keep active following the walk.”
As many as 850,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia. In less than ten years a million people will be living with dementia and this will soar to two million people by 2051.
To find out more about the Bath Memory Walk visit www.memorywalk.org.uk.
