An intrepid Produce World Group worker is walking more than 100 miles in ten days along the Welsh coast to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Emma Jones, who lives near Oundle, and works in Peterborough for the vegetable grower and supplier, is undertaking the challenge to help the charity after her father was diagnosed with the illness two years ago at Christmas.
Jones has already been overwhelmed with the level of support, with friends, family, neighbours, colleagues at Produce World Group, her local gym Oundle Fitness, and even complete strangers from as far away as Texas all sponsoring her.
She has also received help in the form of money off her stays at B&B hotels along the west Wales coastal path.
To date, Jones has raised over £1,000, but is aiming to reach at least £2,000 by the time she starts the walk from Cardigan to Barmouth on 16 May. Emma chose to walk along the west Wales coast as her father is from the area, and it’s where she spent many childhood holidays.
Jones said: “I decided to set myself this challenge for Alzheimer’s Society as this is a special area for my dad, who loves to reminisce about his childhood in Wales and is thrilled that I will be 'walking in his footsteps' for a good part of my trek.
'Despite my father suffering from Alzheimer’s, he still remembers our childhood holidays in west Wales, and I’ll be sending him postcards every day during the walk.'
She added: “When my father was formally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, our family was given limited help or information about this debilitating disease, and we were left feeling uncertain of what this diagnosis meant for him and us. However, the Alzheimer’s Society was there to provide us with the advice and support we needed to help us prepare for the future.
“In many ways, this challenge is not just about my dad, but is also about the millions of people that are suffering from the illness who I’ll be raising money to help support. Hopefully this will help find a cure for a disease that affects so many people across the UK.”
Follow this link to sponsor Jones.
