A man is taking on the ultimate challenge this month in aid of a charity close to his family’s heart.
George Bartlett is running 127 miles from Leeds to Liverpool for Dementia UK.
He’s hoping to raise as much money and awareness as possible, after his mum Linda, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers six years ago.
Linda was given the diagnosis at age 57, after being unable to remember certain things and struggling with basic tasks.
George, originally from Tadcaster, told YorkMix: “It’s been a long process, there were some changes in her behaviour that we noticed up to her diagnosis, but it still came out of the blue.”
The diagnosis has massively affected their family’s everyday life, and George wished more people knew of the realities of this disease.
He said: “I think the main thing has been her mobility and speech that have become gradually more difficult.
“And because it affects someone at such an early age, those things that you do every day, like performing simple tasks, can become quite a lot more challenging because your coordination affects your speech and communication skills.”
But there have been positives too. “Seeing the caring relationship between my mum and dad, and it’s been so difficult, of course, but it’s also kind of brought us together a lot more as a family unit.”
Caring relationship
George’s dad, Rob, was working shifts as a fireman when Linda was diagnosed in 2018.
As Linda required more care and the level of responsibility increased, Rob became a full time carer four years ago.
The pair also downsized from Tadcaster to Copmanthorpe as Linda’s mobility worsened, moving into a bungalow.
Since Rob became a full time carer, Dementia UK has assigned the family with a micro provider.
This is someone that comes to spend time with Linda so Rob can have time to go on bike rides, or take part in other hobbies he enjoys.
George told YorkMix: “I can’t really imagine how much it must be to have on your shoulders, but, they’ve been married for 30 plus years now, and it’s nice to see that caring relationship.”
Ultra runner
George has been a keen runner for over ten years. After moving to Leeds, has enjoyed regular runs along the canal.
He ran his first marathon a year ago, and completed an ultra run a short while after.
An ultra run is any race longer than 26.2 miles, which is the distance of a traditional marathon.
“It was really a nice thing to have my own time, and be out on my own and think things through, and that’s something that running has always given me,” George revealed.
Whilst he spent his days running up and down Leeds canal, he thought about the idea of his own challenge.
“I wanted to do something to honour my parents and the huge amount of work that my dad’s done as a carer and keeping the family together.
“And in a way pay tribute to my mum, who’s always looked after me and my whole family.”
He decided to run section by section of the canal towards Liverpool to raise money.
Once he was set on the idea, George discussed with his parents about which charity he should fundraise for.
He said: “Once they got over how crazy it sounded, I asked them if there was a preference for any kind of charity that they might be wanting me to raise money for, and we agreed on Dementia UK.
“Because of the work that we’ve seen firsthand, and because we know what they do for other families like ours.”
Specialist nurses
Dementia UK provides specialist dementia nurses, called Admiral Nurses, who provide life-changing help for families affected by all forms of dementia.
They have been there for George and his family throughout the last six years.
George told YorkMix: “I’d say the key thing is the admiral nurses and their 24/7 helpline, which each one of us in the family have used to just speak to someone.
“We can share how we’re feeling personally about what’s going on, and they also direct us to those different aspects of help that are out there that we might not have otherwise known about.
“That’s the main thing that the fundraiser is going towards, so that Dementia UK can continue to provide those specialist nurses to other families who just need a bit of help.” George added.
Running round the clock
George will start his journey from Leeds on Friday 22 November, at 8am, and will be running for over 24 hours.
The route will take him across Northern England and through the Pennines, and he plans to arrive in Liverpool on Saturday 23 November, at approximately 4pm.
After almost a year of training for the challenge, George is excited to finally take it on.
Some of his friends will also be joining him at certain points of the race, and his family and more friends will be waiting for him at the end.
“Obviously, the challenge itself is quite overwhelming to think about the scale of it, but there’s a lot to be excited about, because I’ve got people meeting me along the way and joining me to run a few miles with me.
“So it should be a really good experience and I’m trying to focus on how enjoyable certain aspects of it will be.” He told YorkMix.
To keep up with George, you can check out his website here and to donate to his JustGiving page for Dementia UK, click here.
Good luck George!