Alzheimer’s Society celebrities run in Bupa London 10,000 and raise funds for people with dementia and their carers

Actors Shaun Dooley (Exile, Married Single Other) and Nigel Whitmey (Casualty, The Deep), TV presenter Jamie Darling (Animal Hospital) and garden designer and BBC presenter, Chris Beardshaw, (Gardener's World, The Flying Gardener) raised the money by taking part in the Bupa London 10,000 yesterday.

Despite hot and humid weather, the team, which included Shaun's brother-in-law Sam and Chris's partner, Frances, all finished the10k run in under an hour.  They were only slightly pipped to the post by elite athlete Mo Farrah who secured his third consecutive victory in an impressive 29:15, and winner of the women's race, Jo Pavey, who ran in 32:22 beating Paula Radcliffe into third place.

Afterwards, at the Alzheimer's Society post-run reception, a slightly tired, but elated Shaun said:

'It's been a great day and it's lovely to meet all the runners who have a special reason to run for this very important cause.  I'm also looking forward to having my first pint of beer for three months!  Knowing that the money raised will help support people with dementia and their carers makes it all worthwhile.'

This is the third consecutive year that Bupa have chosen Alzheimer's Society as their nominated charity.  Since the beginning of the partnership, nearly 20,000 have taken part in a Bupa Great Run for Alzheimer's Society, raising over £2 million.  The target is £3 million by the end of the year.

Bupa Great Runs take place across the UK throughout the year.  You can register to secure a place by visiting alzheimers.org.uk/greatrun.

Dr Graham Stokes, director of dementia care, 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.'

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

For enquiries, a photograph or to arrange an interview please contact:

Alzheimer's Society                                      Bupa                         

Jayne Phenton                                             Joanne Hudson

T. 020 7423 3595/ 0774 704 6750              T. 020 7656 2273                              

E. jayne.phenton@alzheimers.org.uk          E. joanne.hudson@bupa.com

Alzheimer's Society

• One in three people over 65 will die with dementia.
• Alzheimer's Society research shows that 750,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer's disease. In less than 10 years nearly a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051.
• Alzheimer's Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and the millions of people who care for them.
• Alzheimer's Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Alzheimer's Society needs to raise money to help people live well with dementia today and for research to find a cure for tomorrow. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting alzheimers.org.uk
  
• Alzheimer's Society provides a National Dementia Helpline, the number is 0845 300 0336 or visit alzheimers.org.uk
  

Bupa

• Bupa's purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives.
• A leading international healthcare group, we offer personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.
• With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare.  We are committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.
• Employing nearly 52,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.
• For more information, visit www.bupa.com.