Two dementia care nurses working in Westgate are raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society with a sponsored diet.
West Gate care centre manager Louise Vickers and clinical lead nurse Anne Rixon are just passed midway through their six week diet and have already raised almost £900.
The West Gate is a 50 bedded nursing home with a combination of mental health and general nurses and many residents with various types of dementia.
Louise said: “I have two close family members with dementia. Anne and I both wanted to lose some weight and this seemed a good way to make sure we stuck to our weight loss plan and gave us a fund raising opportunity too.
“I am hoping to become a kidney donor later this year and need to be as fit as possible and have a BMI below 30 for the surgery to go ahead. I have already given up smoking and the weight loss was the next step.
“Anne and I set up the justgiving page and have raised over £860 so far. The page will run for another couple of weeks, the sponsored diet runs until February 15.
“So far I have lost 5.5kg in 4 weeks. Anne and I have done other charity fundraisers together before, two years ago we both had our heads shaved for McMillan Crossroads.”
The Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia charity. It campaigns for change, funds research to find a cure and supports people living with dementia.
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. Someone develops it every three minutes and there’s currently no cure.
Find the Alzheimer’s Society here