Big hearted staff at a centre of excellence for dementia care tackled a sponsored walk to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Ten members of staff from Bodlondeb, which is part of the Pendine Park care organisation in Wrexham, took part in a 10 mile hike around Llyn Brenig to raised funds for the charity as well as adding to their own residents’ fund.
The annual event was organised by Bodlondeb senior care practitioner and social responsibility partner, Susan Clark, and day care manager Olga Azarcon.
Susan, who has worked at Bodlondeb Care Home for six years, says, once all the sponsorship money is collected in, staff are hoping to beat last year’s fundraising total which raised more than £600 for the charity.
She said: “We all work with people who suffer from Alzheimer’s and we all want to do what we can to help raise funds for the charity. Fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Society is something we are all passionate about.”
“Joining together for the sponsored walk is also a good team building exercise for Bodlondeb staff too, although we are already an incredibly close and hard-working group.”
According to care practitioner Laura Beckett, the sponsored walk was close to her heart because her 67-year-old grandmother suffers from Alzheimer’s.
She said: “My nan, who lives in St Helen’s, is a sufferer and I know how important raising funds for the charity is. “It’s also important we raise funds for our own residents so we can help pay for special treats.”
Care practitioner Jenny Goulding said: “I really wanted to take part as working closely with clients every day we see the effects of Alzheimer’s as well as other mental health issues.
“I have personally worked within the field of mental health care for many years and know how important fundraising is.“
It was a sentiment echoed by senior care practitioner Ian Wojdyta.
He said: “It’s important to realise that people diagnosed with a condition such as Alzheimer’s can still live meaningful and fulfilled lives although they may need the support of others.
“And it is important we play a role in making the pubic more aware of Alzheimer’s and the effect it has on people and families. We have an aging population and, sadly, we are seeing more and more people diagnosed with the condition.”
Bodlondeb manager Ann Chapman paid tribute to the dedication of the staff for going the extra mile in aid of such a good cause.
She said: “I think their caring attitude just underlines the fact that we have a really wonderful team of caring individuals working here.”
