Real stories

Running barefoot to fundraise for dementia

My challenge came about because I wanted to mark the 10th year of my grandad Roy being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

He was like a second father to me growing up. My dad was in the navy and away a lot, so I’d spend lots of time with grandad. He’d pick me up from school and we’d go to the football, play golf or fish together.

For the first three years after his diagnosis, he was still pretty energetic.

However, his symptoms steadily got worse and eventually he became housebound. He always remembered who I was though, which was special.

I’m a PE teacher and I’ve always been active – I like to push myself. Seeing my granddad deteriorate motivated me. I wanted to do something to grab people’s attention. During the Covid pandemic, I ran 10k every day for a year to raise money for a mental health charity and I thought to myself, ‘How can I top that?’ I had the idea to run barefoot before I’d thought about the finer details! You can go anywhere in trainers but not in bare feet. 

A challenging start

The first two weeks of my challenge in July 2024 were tough. It was hard to find the right surface to run on and my feet ended up sore and cut. I tried the beach thinking it’d be gentle on my feet and it was the worst – slippy and the shells were so painful to run on! I tried a local park but there was animal poo to contend with. One night, the police even stopped me and asked, ‘Are you alright, mate?’

How I promoted my dementia fundraising

Gradually, I got into a routine. I did a lot of repetitive runs, often around my school’s grounds.

I’m naturally quite a shy person but to raise the profile of my fundraising, I posted live to social media every day. The support I got was brilliant. 

I had so many great conversations, people stopping me in the street, patting me on the back and shaking my hand.

The children I teach were an amazing support too. I want them to have the relationship I had with my grandad.

There were only a few occasions I thought I couldn’t carry on.

One of those days was when my grandad died in early summer 2025. It was so difficult to find the motivation to run that day. I still don’t think I’ve fully grieved for him.

My advice on fundraising challenges

It was a relief to finally finish but I miss the headspace I got from my daily run. It was time I could think and decompress. 

I raised close to £16,000, which is just phenomenal.

My mum’s applied to the Guinness Book of Records to get me recognised for travelling the longest distance in bare feet over the course of a year.

It’s amazing to raise awareness about dementia but I didn’t do it for the accolades. 

I just like to help people.

If you’re thinking of setting yourself a fundraising challenge, my advice is pick something you’ll enjoy. Try to keep the people you’re helping in your mind when you need a pick-me-up.

I like to set myself challenges so although I’m not sure precisely what it will be, I’m sure I’ll do something else. Watch this space.