Annie Turnbull's world was turned upside down three years ago when her dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at just 55.

She was a self-confessed 'daddy's girl' sharing many interests with her father Kevin, especially sport.

A keen athlete with her dad as her coach, she often spent time with him competing at races and events.

Everything changed when Kevin was diagnosed in 2019. Since then, his dementia has progressed to the point where he has had to move into a care home.

Annie, 27, who grew up in Chippenham, said: “What 24-year-old wants to be told that their dad may not remember them next week?

“Before dementia took hold, dad was witty, funny and very sarcastic, but he also had a really caring side. He’d do anything for anyone. He loved sport, especially rugby. He would always wear shorts, even if it was snowing! When it came to the athletics track, he was my biggest champion.

“Every now and again I see glimpses that he’s still in there, but now he gets confused and easily lost in conversations. There’s lots of staring into space. Occasionally he’ll crack a joke and I’ll think ‘that’s my dad’.”

When she got engaged last summer, Annie and her fiancé planned their wedding in a matter of weeks and married six months later, to be sure Kevin could walk her down the aisle.

Now she is set to join hundreds of fundraisers going the extra mile for the Alzheimer’s Society at Bristol Memory Walk from Lloyds Amphitheatre on Saturday and is encouraging others to join her.

"I want to raise awareness that dementia doesn’t just affect the elderly. I thought I was the only person my age to find themselves in this situation, but I realise I’m not. I think it’s important for more people to know about the condition and how it affects people. It’s the first time I’ve felt able to share the news beyond my closest friends and family; it’s taken a long time to process.”

Marion Child, Alzheimer’s Society Head of Region for the South West, said: “We are in awe of our amazing fundraisers, like Annie, who go above and beyond to raise vital funds and awareness for the estimated 92,510 people living with dementia in the South West. Every step our fundraisers take will to help us provide a lifeline of support for as many people affected by dementia as possible.

Memory Walk events have been a regular fixture in the Autumn calendar for over 10 years, seeing half a million walkers raise over £41 million for Alzheimer’s Society."

Visit memorywalk.org.uk to find out more about organising your own Memory Walk or taking part in Alzheimer’s Society’s organised events this Autumn.

By 2025 the Alzheimer’s Society estimates 1m people will be living with the condition in the UK, and many millions more carers, partners, families and friends will be affected.