Celebrities Richard McCourt and Dean Andrews lead the Alzheimer’s Society team in the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run

Richard, who has experience of dementia in his close family and will be running the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run for the third year in a row said:

'I cared for my Mum who had dementia and understand how hard it is to look after someone with the condition. I'm proud to be running for Alzheimer's Society again in my home town. This is my third Bupa Great Yorkshire Run, and it's also Alzheimer's Society's third and final year as Bupa's charity partner for the Great Run Series. We hope to have raised a total of £3.5million by the end of the partnership.'

Fellow Yorkshireman Dean Andrews is also looking forward to supporting Alzheimer's Society during the 10 kilometre run through Sheffield. He said,

'This is my second Bupa Great Run this year in support of Alzheimer's Society. For me, it's a great incentive to keep my fitness levels up. Regular exercise, as part of a healthy lifestyle, can reduce your risk of dementia by as much as a third. Signing up for a Bupa Great Run is a great way to keep motivated, but the best incentive is knowing that by taking part, you can improve the lives of people with dementia and their carers.'

Richard and Dean will also be joined by TV presenter and fitness expert Jamie Darling, who is supporting Alzheimer's Society by running each of the runs in the series this year.

This is the third consecutive year Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer Scotland have been Bupa's nominated charities.  By the end of 2011, they hope to have raised £3.5million to fight dementia.

Dr Graham Stokes, Director of Dementia Care at Bupa Care Services said:

'We're very pleased to be supporting Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer Scotland for a third year. As the UK's leading provider of dementia care, we're committed to helping people with the disease to live well. We understand how important it is to work with Alzheimer's Society to support people with dementia today and find a cure for tomorrow. Signing up to support the Alzheimer's charities in a Bupa Great Run means you can get fit, help reduce your risk of dementia and raise money for a very worthwhile cause.'