A woman has set an ambitious target of raising £1m for a dementia charity by walking across Great Britain.
Angela Hougham, 67, of Great Kingshill in the Chiltern Hills, aims to reach the gargantuan figure for the Alzheimer’s Society, as her husband, Bob is a former carer who worked with people living with Dementia.
The original walk was due to start in March 2020 but was cancelled due to pandemic which began that same month.
The walk will see Angela start off in Dartford to Gillingham in Kent.
She then hopes to continue through Kent along to the South Coast before heading for South Wales and on up to the north and Scotland.
Overall, Angela will be walking around 2,500 miles.
Angela, who previously ran two hair salons, said: “Bob would often talk to me about his work and it always seemed to me that dementia got a lot less attention in terms of media coverage and fundraising than some other conditions, such as cancer for example.
“That always felt wrong to me, especially as dementia is becoming such a big problem.
“It’s sad to see a body functioning perfectly when the brain no longer is.
“I want to do all I can to help families in this situation, and to support them by raising as much as I can for research into finding a cure for this incredibly distressing condition.”
“I had originally planned to set off in March 2020 and walk around 10 miles a day over nine months.
It was always going to be a huge challenge for me because I used to hate walking, so it was very much stepping outside of my comfort zone.
“But unfortunately the coronavirus pandemic hit and I had to put my plans on hold, which was very frustrating.
READ MORE: Aylesbury's German Doner Kebab branch to open this summer
“The whole of 2020 was spent making arrangements to get started, but every time I set a new date to begin, there was another lockdown or spike in Covid-19 cases.”
The rearranged plans for the walk have been somewhat of a challenge for the 67-year-old, for the following reasons.
Initially, Angela planned to find accommodation along the way, but due to the pandemic restrictions, this was made incredibly difficult so as a backup plan, she bought a motorhome instead.
She then lost her support driver when he had to return to work from furlough before they could set off, and coupled with an injured foot which left Angela unable to walk properly for 10 months, it seemed that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.
However, so far, she has raised £15,064 for the charity and aims to hit the six-figured sum.
She continued: “I have always set myself high targets in everything I do.
“While £1 million is a lot of money, I believe it is an achievable sum, and I am determined to do my very best for Alzheimer’s Society.”
READ MORE: Man avoids having car seized despite being caught exceeding the speed limit
Although Angela does not have any close family members affected by dementia, her husband Bob is a former carer who worked with people living with dementia.
Kiera Ridge, Senior Events Fundraising Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We’re thrilled Angela has chosen to support Alzheimer's Society with such an amazing challenge.
“She has already made a fantastic start on her JustGiving page and we know how determined she is to make a difference to people affected by dementia.
The first stint of the walk began this week (week commencing July 19).
To make a donation and support Angela visit justgiving.com/fundraising/angela-hougham.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here