Memory Walk frequently asked questions

Memory Walks are a series of family-friendly sponsored walks which take place in various locations in September and October each year. You can walk either for, or in memory of, a loved one and help to raise vital funds for Alzheimer's Society. These events are a fantastic way to make a real difference for people affected by dementia.

Our Memory Walk events operate in England, Wales & Northern Ireland, and are organised by our in-house team.

If you cannot attend a walk that we host, you can also choose to take on your own Memory Walk closer to home.

You can view our full list of events, and filter by location.

If you take on your own Memory Walk, it's up to you where you walk! You could lap your local park, or walk nearby pavements or pebbles on your own, with your household or with your four-legged friends. 

If you live in Scotland, Alzheimer's Scotland are the leading dementia charity for the region. They also run walking events – find out more on their website: Events | Alzheimer Scotland

'Take on your own' is suited to you if you wish to do a Memory Walk but either can't make one of our organised walks, there isn’t one in your area, or you want to do a Memory Walk in an area that’s special to you and your loved ones.

It's easy to take part! Sign up for a free fundraising pack, invite people to join you (or walk solo), set up your fundraising page and get walking!

We are asking people to take on your own Memory Walk on World Alzheimer’s Day, 21st September, or any other day that month that suits you! Outside of this time, you can organise your own walk with the support of our event team.

We recommend keeping your Memory Walk small, with just friends, family or colleagues so that it is nice and easy to organise. If you want to be part of a larger event, we recommend attending one of our existing walks.

You can find our Terms and Conditions for Take On Your Own Memory Walk here.

We want to make our Memory Walks as accessible as possible, so it’s free to sign up! 

However, Memory Walk is a fundraising event and we want to try and raise as much money as possible to help those affected by dementia. That’s why, when you sign up, you will receive a fundraising pack and a target that we encourage you to work towards. 

We recommend that anyone participating in Memory Walk arrives at the event site from 1 hour before the walk start time. This is so that you can soak up the atmosphere before the walk begins and allows time to take part in the pre-walk activities such as: writing a tag that you can place on our Memory Tree, taking photos, taking part in the Zumba warm up, or grabbing a refreshment. This time is also important to allow for things like traffic and public transport. 

More detailed information about timings, getting to your event site and things to consider can be found on each event location page. 
 

To help make Memory Walk as accessible as we can, we offer two different distances at all of our events. The lengths vary depending on the location, with shorter routes between 1.5-3.5km long, and our longer routes between 5-9km long.

Please check the event page for your walk for more details about the route, including information about route accessibility.

All Memory Walk routes are clearly signposted and marshalled by our amazing volunteers, so a route map isn’t required to take part. For a sneak preview of the route or to find out more about accessibility details, check out your Memory Walk’s web page.

Please note, all routes are subject to change in the event of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

Please check the webpage for the walk you are attending to see if dogs are allowed at the event. Please read the information provided on the event page as it may outline restrictions on where dogs are permitted on the event site and route.

Assistance dogs are welcome at all of our events. 

Dogs must be kept on leads at all times at events where they are permitted.
 

Water refill stations will be available at every event, for you to fill up your own water bottle. Soft drinks and other refreshments will also be available from our caterers at each event.

By bringing your own water bottle, you will be helping to reduce the carbon footprint of our event and limit our plastic waste.

We have a professional photographer at each event to capture special moments throughout the day. We appreciate that not everyone might like to have their photograph taken, which is why we have free red wristbands available at our Information gazebo for you to use if this is the case. 

Wearing a red wristband means that our photographer will know that you do not wish to be photographed and will avoid doing this as much as is possible. Please ensure that your red wristband is visible at all times so that the photographer is aware of your wishes. 

You can find photos from all past events on Flickr. You can also find photos that walkers have added on social media - search #MemoryWalk on X, Facebook and Instagram.

Our event sites get very busy and can be loud, especially during the Zumba warm up just before the walk starts. Once the walk is underway the event site is quieter. After the first set of walkers have headed off, the crowd thins out and the route is also quieter. We have volunteers as marshals, across the route who can assist you during the walk.

If you, or somebody in your party, has concerns and would like to discuss attending an event in advance please contact our team using our online form.

Each walk page has event specific information on accessibility, advising on location, environment, and disabled parking bays, where possible. We will specify if the event site is on grass, and whether the route is on hard standing paths.

• All events have accessible toilet units on the event site, and first aid provision with an emergency vehicle and responders on site.
• Assistance dogs are welcome at all our events.
• We know that our events can get busy. In the unfortunate circumstance that you're separated from a child or vulnerable adult that you are attending the event with, we have blue security wristbands available from our Information gazebo where you can write your name and contact number as a safety measure when you arrive at the event.
• There is a PA system with a microphone on each event site, used for announcements and to play music. We don’t have an induction loop on our event sites, but printed information sheets covering key event day information can be found at the Information tent on the day. All essential event information, including timings and directions, will also be sent in advance to all participants and volunteers.
• If a walker is unable to take part in an event without the additional assistance and support of a carer on the route, the carer is not required to complete the registration form. In these circumstances, the carer may simply turn up on the day alongside the registered walker.

Please note, we cannot provide a carer or accompanier on behalf of anyone participating in the walk.

Whilst we try to make our events as accessible as we can, please note, due to the nature of this event it will be a loud environment, and there will be a high volume of people present.

However, here are some measures that we have in place to try and make our events more dementia-friendly:

•    Our signage is printed using dementia-friendly text, fonts, and imagery.
•    Our Memory Walk staff members are Dementia Friends.
•    Blue security wristbands are available from our Information gazebo for recording your name and contact number, in case you are separated from any vulnerable adults or children in your party.

We need everyone's help to make our event as safe as possible, so please do take note of how you can help us!

• We know that our events can get busy. Blue security wristbands are available from our Information gazebo for recording your name and contact number, in case you are separated from any vulnerable adults or children in your party.
• Please do not attend the event if you are unwell, or anyone you live with is unwell and likely to be contagious.
• Please follow instructions from Memory Walk staff and volunteers throughout the event.
• Give way to the general public within and around the event.
• Be kind to yourself and others.

Visit our Find a walk page and select the location you'd like to register for. At the top of the page there will be a banner that says 'Sign up to walk' and a button you can click. This will take you to a registration form that you will need to fill out with your details. 

Once you have completed this, we will then be in touch to provide you with everything you need to get started on your fundraising and all the essential details you’ll need before the big day!

It is essential that all those wanting to take part in an event organised by us, register on our website individually. Multiple registrations under one name will not be recognised. Registration closes on the date stated on the event page. 

An exception is that if a walker is unable to take part in an event without the additional assistance and support of a carer on the route, the carer is not required to complete the registration form. In these circumstances, the carer may simply turn up on the day alongside the registered walker. 

Please note, we cannot provide a carer or accompanier on behalf of anyone participating in the walk.

Under 16s can take part in our events if they are accompanied by an adult over 18, and do not need to register. If you would like to bring an under 16 with you then please state this on your registration form when asked. 

If you are taking on your own Memory Walk, only the organiser needs to register with us.

Please note, we aim to start sending out both digital and postal fundraising packs from early Summer onwards. We will update this webpage with more details nearer the time.

It is very important to try and sign up to a Memory Walk as early as possible so that we know how many people to expect on the day and can plan the event to be a safe and enjoyable day. However, if registrations have closed online, you can still sign up at the event on the day.

Please visit the Information tent to do this or speak to one of our lovely staff or volunteers (in hi-vis vests) who can help you do this.

Please note, if you are signing up on the day, as this is a sponsored walking event, we do ask for a £10 contribution. This is to help cover the cost of the Memory Walk t-shirt that you will receive on the day and help towards the event costs. If you would still like to fundraise post-event, then you are most welcome to!

If you can no longer attend your walk, please contact us with your name, address and the walk you are signed up to do. We can then withdraw you from the event so you do not receive any further communications.

Alternatively, you can call us on 0300 330 5452 and our lovely Supporter Care team will be happy to help.

If you are aged between 16-17 on the day of the event, please seek permission of your legal parent or guardian before registering. You can then sign up online using the standard registration form.

Children under 16 can take part if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times at the event. The parent or guardian must sign up as normal using the registration form.

To create a team select the walk you’d like to do, fill out the registration form, and then follow the steps on how to create a team! You’ll be asked to choose a team name and invite your teammates to register for the event by entering their emails into the box provided.

To join a team that has already been created all you'll need to do is sign up for the same walk as your teammates, and on the registration form select to join a team and enter your team name or search for the Team Captain (the person who created the team).

Please note, the team that you create or join upon registration is your walking team. In order to add team members to your JustGiving fundraising page, you will need to do this manually when you create your page, as this is a separate process. For further information on how to do this, please view JustGiving’s guidance here, or contact them for further help. 
 

Yes, you can. To change your team name please contact us with your original team name and the one you'd like to change it to, and we will be able to change it on our database. Please note, we are unable to change team names on your JustGiving page for you.

To see who is on your team the team leader will need to contact us and speak to our team.

Yes, all of our Memory Walks have a fundraising target of £175. We encourage you to try and reach this but you can still participate if you don't hit the full fundraising amount.

Thank you for collecting sponsorship or looking to send a donation. Without your fundraising, we couldn't help people living with dementia through support services and ongoing research. 

For security reasons, we ask that you please don't send cash. Please note, we are also unable to accept donations brought to us on event day. 

Instead, you can pay cash donations into your account then donate in one of the following ways:

• Donate online.
• Send a cheque, made payable to Alzheimer's Society, sponsorship forms and donation return form in your freepost envelope which you received in your pack after registering. Let us know if you haven't got a freepost envelope.
• Make a secure card payment over the phone by calling us on 0300 330 5452.
• Add the donation to your JustGiving page. The money will come straight to us, simple!

Please ensure that you send us your sponsorship by 2 months after your event, so that it can be included in our grand total.

We are sorry to hear that you’re having problems with your fundraising page. Unfortunately, we are not able to help with any JustGiving-related issues, as they are a separate organisation. Please visit their support page where they have lots of helpful information or you can submit a request through their website.