Ludlow man so determined to take on 'SAS' challenge he's taking knee jab to keep arthritis at bay

Experienced fundraiser David Perkins will be among a team of 30 to take on the infamous Fan Dance SAS challenge for Dementia UK on Sunday April 14.

The gruelling challenge is to cover the 15 mile course in 4.5 hours. If that isn't a challenge enough it also involves scaling Pen-y-Fan peak twice, ascending over 4,500ft in the process.

That would put strain on anyone's knees but David has seen how dementia affects people and is having an Arthrosamid injection in his knee to do it.

David said: “In addition to raising funds, the team hope to raise awareness of the invaluable support Dementia UK provide to families and their loved ones all over the UK, which is vital in helping them come to terms with this terrible and debilitating condition.”

The group of friends, which includes several former members of the British Armed Forces, are mostly over the age of 50.

They have smashed their initial fundraising target of £1,000, with their total currently standing at more than £2,500 with more to come in.

The group will be led by Shane Neill from Torquay, whose mum lived with dementia, receiving the support of an Admiral Nurse, and is responsible for the groups choice of charity.

Other fundraisers include Barry Azzopardi, Dartmouth – an experienced fundraiser. His parents both lived with dementia and required round the clock care

Funds raised will help the charity to provide dementia specialist Admiral Nurses, to support families facing dementia.

Every three minutes, someone in the UK develops dementia: a progressive and complex condition that can be devastating for the whole family. It’s a huge and growing health crisis and is the leading cause of death in the UK.

Admiral Nurses are continually supported and developed by Dementia UK, to provide life-changing advice and support to anyone affected by dementia, whenever it’s needed. They work on the free national Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline, in face-to-face and virtual clinics, and in the community, in GP practices, hospitals, and care homes.

Jenny Robinson, Senior Events Manager at Dementia UK, said: “We are so grateful to David, Colin, Shane, Barry and the rest of the team for taking on this mammoth challenge for Dementia UK.

"One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime - either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both. It can be exhausting and overwhelming, not only for the person with dementia, but also for the people caring for them, and their wider family and friends.

“Thanks to the hard work of fundraisers like Shane and his team, more families than ever will be able to access the life-changing support offered by our Admiral Nurses.”

To support the team's efforts visit the Just Giving website.