County Derry woman to take part in Belfast Memory Walk to raise funds for Alzheimer's Society

People are being urged to take part in Belfast Memory Walk this weekend to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society’s vital dementia support and ground-breaking research.

Hundreds of fundraisers will step out at Ormeau Park, Belfast on September 27 alongside friends, family and colleagues to end the devastation caused by dementia.

For Kerry Bacon, from Coleraine, dementia was the last diagnosis she expected to hear when she accompanied her mum, Harriet, to the doctors 15 years ago.

Kerry said: “Mum just wasn’t herself and at first her symptoms were put down to depression. It took a while to get a diagnosis after the doctor referred her to a specialist and for an MRI scan. Mum was only 52 at the time. She was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer’s disease, which was the last thing I was expecting.

“I was only in my 30s at the time and I gave up work to help my Dad look after Mum, while also raising my own young children. We had Mum at home for six years until eventually she needed professional care. It’s a terrible illness – Mum was always very outgoing; very honest and witty, but as the Alzheimer’s progressed her eyes became empty. I briefly saw the real her again, just once before she died in May, when she looked properly into my eyes. I told her how proud I was of her – she fought with grace and strength for fifteen years.”

Kerry will be taking part in Memory Walk alongside her husband. The day before would have been Harriet’s birthday and is the first one the family will have spent without her.

One in three people born today in the UK will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime. There are currently around a million people living with the condition, including an estimated 24,700 in Northern Ireland, with thousands more caring for someone living with dementia.

Memory Walk unites people personally affected by dementia – whether walking to remember a loved one, celebrate someone living with the condition, or to raise money for charity.

Barry Smyth, Regional Manager for Alzheimer’s Society in Northern Ireland, said: “Memory Walk can be incredibly moving, atmospheric and uplifting – it really is a walk like no other, and by taking part our incredible supporters will become a real force for change. 

“Every pound they raise will make a huge difference. Supporters will be walking to help fund faster diagnosis, lifechanging support and pioneering research, helping people with dementia live more fulfilled lives now and in the future.” 

To make sure everyone is included, there are two routes to choose from on the day of Memory Walk. A shorter 3km route, which is wheelchair accessible and suitable for all ages and abilities. The longer 6km route takes you on two laps of Ormeau Park and is also wheelchair accessible.

You can also sign up to do your own Memory Walk during autumn 2025 and will receive a fundraising pack and T-shirt. To sign up to your nearest Alzheimer’s Society Memory Walk or to organise your own visit Memory Walk