Being there for our celebrity supporters like they’re there for us

Louisa Booth, Celebrity Manager, shares some of what goes on behind the scenes when working with our most high-profile supporters.

When I tell people that I’m a Celebrity Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, I usually get one of two responses.

They either say ‘That sounds glamorous!’ or they tell me how dementia has affected them and why the work we do is so important. 

The people who give me the second answer get me checking that they have all the support they need, and whether they need anything else from us. 

If I get the first response, I see that as an opportunity to explain the work I do.

Louisa Booth

Personal connection 

We have celebrity supporters and ambassadors – people who take on a specific role to help raise awareness about the Society and everything we do. 

Many of our celebrity supporters and ambassadors have been affected by dementia personally in some way, and part of my job is looking after and supporting them through that journey, sometimes in the full glare of the media. 

It’s a huge step for anyone to speak publicly, and a brave one, and we’re there for them wherever and however they need us. 

We’re very careful about how we approach high-profile supporters. We will only ask celebrities to support us if they’ve personal experience of dementia or are interested in the work we’re doing. 

Trust and compassion 

When a celebrity goes public and talks about their reason for supporting the Society, we know this has a profound impact. 

It helps to shine a light on dementia, as well as to raise funds and support for the Society. They champion our brand and boost vital public awareness of our work, and there is a real value in sharing their stories. 

Dementia is indiscriminate and has no regard for fame or success. It usually takes around two years from our initial contact with a celebrity supporter to them lending their face to a campaign or event.

A huge part of what we do is based on trust and compassion. 

A privilege 

My team is small, but we work on a huge number of projects. In recent months, we’ve been busy with Dementia Action Week, Trek26, the Forget Me Not Appeal, Memory Walk, Sport United Against Dementia and our partnership with The FA, as well as many one-off requests.

We’re also working hard to increase our range of celebrity supporters. 

We liaise with celebrities and their agents and publicists on requests that vary from sharing something on Twitter or Instagram to doing the voiceover for an advert, attending a Memory Walk or taking part in a media interview. 

All our celebrity supporters do this for free, and we’re extremely privileged to have some wonderful, passionate and high-profile supporters who give up their time for us and who we can call on if we need to. 

Dementia together magazine is for all Alzheimer’s Society supporters and anyone affected by the condition.
Subscribe now

2 comments

I remember taking my mam to her Dr's Surgery one year I was staying with my parents on a 2 week holiday. She asked the Dr. Was she going to get Dementia like her mother had at age 72, my mam was 70 when she asked. Her Dr. said no, Jean if you were going to get it you'd have seen signs of Dementia before now, she did never get it & happily died in 2011 aged 89 from old age. Now talking to my sister Cath in Ipswich only a couple of weeks ago, she told me she was worried that my second eldest sister Helen might have Dementia when oddly Helen asked Cath if she'd run her off a family tree chart as she kept forgetting members of our family & who she's related too. Going for tests, Helen has now been confirmed as having Dementia. Her husband although living together now, have been divorced& remarried only because he is an alchoholic, & she needed to buy his half of their house off him, so her 2 adult children could inherit something rather than nothing as he continually drinks. so she could buy him out . My point is little did I think that my sister Helen aged 74 being of a very intelligent status, a retired head of department & teacher in a well established school, a self taught pianist of concert standard & many other successful outgoing hobbies. She has no money problems quite the opposite, but I worry with Dementia at some stage she is going to be alone. Can you please email me the first point of contact for her when she needs help. I too live at the other end of the country, being a housebound Diabetic & unable to offer her any help either. My husband suffers with Parkinson's Disease and he's just been admitted as a Full-time Resident into the Nursing home near our Easycare Housing flat that weve only just moved into in July 2022. I think I need help in each illness but who to turn to other than Adult Sovial Services whom have been marvellous so far & a great help, can you please suggest I never ever imagined Helen having such an illness like this. My eldest sister Lynne 77, died without any fore warning of Brain Cancer in Feb 2021, then there's Helrn, then me 70, Cath 67, then our youngest sister Louise who is 58 & suffers with sycoŕofenia, of which I know nothing about. Who can I turn to general advice? Thank you.

Hi Greta,

We're very sorry to hear about your sister, that sounds like a really difficult situation to be in. Please know that you aren't alone, and we're here to support you.

We'd strongly recommend calling our support line on 0333 150 3456. Our dementia advisers will listen and give you support and advice, and connect you to any help you or your sister need.

You can read more about the support line (including opening hours) here: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementia-connect-support-line

We hope this helps for now, Greta. Please do call our support line.

Alzheimer's website team