Dedicated Sale supporter wins Alzheimer’s Research UK award for outstanding commitment

Fred Walker from Sale has been recognised for his commitment to supporting life-changing dementia research with a fitting accolade.

The retired engineer received an Outstanding Commitment award in Alzheimer’s Research UK’s inaugural supporter awards this month.

Fred has supported Alzheimer’s Research UK for over 12 years after witnessing first-hand the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on his late wife Joan.

In that time he has been a tireless campaigner and speaker for the charity, having undertaken dozens of awareness talks and attended fundraising lunches across the north west of England.

Fred also wrote a book entitled ‘Alzheimer’s: An Engineer’s View’, with all proceeds going to the charity.

His support doesn’t end there either as he has been part of charity campaigns, media launches and corporate partnership pitches over the years, helping to bring in over £130,000 in donations to the charity.

Therefore, it was fitting that Fred received an award that looks to celebrate people who have gone above and beyond to help Alzheimer’s Research UK tackle dementia, in a myriad of ways over a number of years.

Fred said: “When my wife, Joan, developed Alzheimer’s disease our world fell apart. Eventually, she died in my arms in our family home. I decided to fight back against this terrible disease.

“I developed a PowerPoint presentation sharing our experience of dementia and toured community groups including Probus, Women’s Institute and the Round Table to raise funds for dementia research through Alzheimer’s Research UK and to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. I hope I have helped in the fight to find earlier ways to diagnose dementia and find a cure.”

Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Supporter Awards shine a spotlight on some of the charity’s most dedicated fundraisers and volunteers, who play a vital role in helping to bring an end to the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia.

The awards were hosted on the charity’s website to ensure as many people as possible were able to celebrate the nominees and winners.

As well as the Outstanding Commitment category, there were a further eight categories that supporters were nominated in.

They represent the breadth of different ways people support the UK’s leading dementia research charity each year from Fundraise Your Way to Researcher of the Year.

Hilary Evans, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“It has been a great privilege to celebrate the incredible lengths our supporters go to in order to raise awareness and vital funds for dementia research. Without our supporters we would not be able to make the progress we are making in dementia research.

“We are so grateful to Fred for his tireless efforts and supporting our work for such a sustained period of time. Supporters like Fred are helping us make research breakthroughs that will keep people connected to their families, their worlds and themselves for longer.”

To find out more about Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Supporter Awards and to view all the winners go to https://alzres.uk/awards

For further information about Alzheimer’s Research UK, or to find out more about fundraising and volunteering for the charity, call 0300 111 5555 or visit www.alzheimersresearchuk.org