Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions about our events that you may find useful. We've grouped these into Events, Registration, Teams, Fundraising and Volunteers.


Events

All our events are family friendly sponsored walks, and are fantastic way to make a real difference for people affected by dementia. Our events operate in England, Wales & Northern Ireland, and are organised by our in-house team.

Memory Walk takes place in September and October each year. These events are an amazing opportunity to walk either for, or in memory of a loved one and raise vital funds for Alzheimer's Society.

If you cannot attend a walk 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, 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 Memory Walks – find out more on their website https://memorywalk.alzscot.org/

'Take on your own' is aimed at those who wish to do a Memory Walk but there can't make one of our organised walks, or there isn’t one in their area.

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 join in on 18 September, but if you can't do that date, any other day in September is great! 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.

All of our walks vary in length so please check the walk page for your event for more details about the route, including information about route accessibility.

Route maps will not be required as our routes are well signposted and marshalled by our amazing volunteers, but you can see a sneak preview of the route on the walk page, along with details about route accessibility.

Please check the webpage for the walk you are attending, if dogs are allowed at the event this will be indicated. Please read the information provided on the event page as it may outline restrictions on where dogs are permitted.

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

To help further reduce our carbon footprint, and limit plastic waste created at our events, we will not provide bottled water for every participant. Instead, we encourage all walkers to bring their own bottles from home.

Soft drinks and refreshments will be available from our caterers at each event.

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 Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Each walk page has event specific information on accessibility; advising on disabled parking bays, location and environment. 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 our events.
  • 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 event FAQs can be found at the Information Tent. All essential event information, including timings and directions, will also be sent in advance to all participants and volunteers.
  • If you, or somebody in your party, are on the Autism Spectrum and you would like to discuss attending the event in advance please contact our team at [email protected]. Our event sites get very busy and can be loud, especially just before the walk starts, during the Zumba warm up. Once the walk is underway the route is quieter and after the first set of walkers have headed off, the crowd thins out. We have volunteers across the route as marshals, who can assist you during the walk.
  • If a walker is unable to take part an event without the additional assistance and support or 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. 

Safety of all walkers, volunteers and staff is our top priority. We ensure we deliver events that are in line with best practice and government guidance across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Each event has been risk-assessed, and we have consulted with our venues to implement safety measures, whilst still maintaining a special event atmosphere! 

What to expect:

  • Upon registration you will be asked to select an arrival time - each slot has a maximium capacity, so we only have a limited number of walkers in the event site or on the route at any one time. 
  • Hand sanitiser at regular intervals within the event site.

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

  • Stay home, and do not attend the event if you are unwell, or anyone you live with is unwell and likely to be contagious.
  • If you are isolating because of an infection, please stay home and look after yourself, and do not attend the event.
  • Follow instructions from Memory Walk staff and volunteers throughout the event.
  • Use the sanitiser provided regularly throughout the event.
  • Give way to the general public within and around the event.
  • Be kind to yourself and others.

Registration

Visit Find a walk. We will then be in touch to provide you with everything you need to get started on your fundraising!

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. 

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 organising your own Memory Walk, only the organiser needs to register with us.

After you've registered, you'll get your fundraising pack in your confirmation email straight away! We'll send out packs for Memory Walk in the post from June onwards.

We send these daily by second class post, so they should arrive within a few days. If you've not received a pack 2-weeks after you registered, contact us to get a new one sent out.

Unfortunately it isn't possible to sign-up to take part on the day of the event. You must register online, or by phone before the closing date stated on the event page.

We are sorry to hear that! If you can no longer attend your walk, then email us at [email protected] 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

Teams and Fundraising

To create a team all you’ll need to do is select the walk you’d like to do and fill out the registration form, then follow the steps on how to create a team! You’ll be asked to choose a team name and whether or not you’d like a team JustGiving page.

To join a team that has already been created all you'll need to do is sign up for the same walk and on the registration form, select to join a team and enter the team name to join. 

Yes, if you email [email protected] we will be able to change it on our database but not on your JustGiving page i'm afraid.

To see who is on your team the team leader will need to email [email protected] and speak to our team.

Yes all of our events have fundraising targets, which are stated at the top of each event page. We encourage you to try and reach this but you can still participate if you don't hit the full target.

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. To donate, please don't send cash - you can pay this into your account then donate in the following ways:

  1. Donate online
  2. 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.
  3. Make a card payment over the phone by calling us on 0300 330 5452
  4. Add the donation to your JustGiving page. The money will come straight to us, simple!

We are sorry to hear that you’re having problems with your fundraising page. Please contact JustGiving support where they have lots of helpful information, and where you can contact them with any extra queries.

Volunteering

Find a walk to see your nearest event, and hit the volunteer button to fill in our registration form. Easy!

At the event roles are split into event site or on the route. On the event site, roles include selling merchandise, manning the Information and Memory Tag gazebos, and handing out medals to all our amazing walkers.

On the route, volunteers support in making sure the walkers are safe on route and heading in the right direction, as well as keeping them motivated with big cheers!

This is just a snapshot of the types of tasks, all volunteers are allocated roles by the event manager on event day, who will always try to match you with the preferred role you indicated in your sign-up form. 

Most of our volunteers will be needed between 08:30 and 14:30 at Memory Walk, but this may change depending on the timings of each event, especially if an event is due to start earlier or later than usual.

Keep an eye on your inbox for an email with full timings from our team before the event.

You will receive updates from the team in the lead up to the event which will provide you with everything you need to know before event day, so keep an eye on your inbox and double-check your junk-mail folder.

These updates include information about what time to arrive, where to go, and what to expect at the event. We may also contact you by phone or text message in case we need to update you with vital information.

When you arrive at the walk, your event manager will sign you in, allocate a role and give you all the equipment you need, then you'll recieve a briefing with your fellow volunteers which will cover what to expect, safety information and everything about your volunteer role.

All the volunteering equipment you need, including water, a radio, hi-vis vest and volunteer t-shirt, will be provided to you on the day, so you just need to bring yourself and your enthusiasm!

If you have volunteered with us before, please bring your volunteering t-shirt you were given at the most recent event.

At most events we will give you a food and drink voucher which can be redeemed with the on-site caterers, but we would also recommend that you bring some snacks to keep you going. To help us be more green, please do bring your own water if you can.

Without the support of our volunteers we would not be able to raise any funds for people affected by dementia. We have raised millions of pounds over the years at our walks, and not a penny of this would have been possible without our volunteers!

At the event you have the chance to meet new and like-minded people whilst having a great day out. Volunteering at events also provides you with new skills and experiences to take into your personal and professional life.

Even if you have volunteered before, or already volunteer for Alzheimer's Society, you still need to sign-up online for each event. This is essential for us, as we need to make sure we have the most up to date details, such as your emergency contact details, and the correct email address to communicate with you.

We understand sometimes things crop up which mean you can no longer volunteer at the event. If this is the case, just email us at [email protected] with your full name, event you were due to volunteer at and postcode.

You can also phone us on 0300 330 5452

If you are part of a team, or want to bring along a friend to volunteer, we would love for you to come along – the more the merrier! All you need to do is simply sign up individually, via the online form, and make sure to mention who you’re volunteering with in the 'volunteer with a friend' box.

On the day, your event manager will always try to keep you together in groups of at least two so you can enjoy volunteering together.

Youth Groups are welcome to volunteer, as long as they have a leader over the age of 18 to supervise them at the event.

The leader must first sign up using the online form, putting the name of the Youth Group, and the approximate number of youth volunteers in the 'volunteer with a friend' box (e.g. Durham Scouts x10). This helps the event manager know how many additional volunteers to expect at the event.

After this, please forward your confirmation of registration to [email protected], to highlight you've signed up a Youth Group. If there are any changes to the number of volunteers you’re bringing, then please do email again to confirm.

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

Children under 16 can volunteer 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 volunteer registration form, noting in the 'volunteer with a friend' box that a child will be present at their age.

Rescheduled Events

We have automatically transferred your registration and fundraising for Memory Walk to the rescheduled date. If you’re happy to take part on the new date then you don’t need to do anything. If you are unable to take part, or would instead prefer to take on your own Memory Walk, please contact us at [email protected] so we can update your registration accordingly. 

Yes absolutely! If you let us know which walk you would like to be moved to we can do this for you! Thank you for your support!

Unfortunately it isn’t possible to defer places to next year but you can move to another walk from this year!

If you take part in the walk on the postponed date, your fundraising will be counted towards your fundraising target for this walk,  so do not worry about your fundraising being lost! 

You’ll receive all the info you need for your walk via email ahead of the event, which will include where to meet, and what time to arrive, so you do not need a new pack for the walk.  

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