From Heartbreak to 26.2 miles: Niamh’s London Marathon challenge for Alzheimer’s Society
A former Shropshire Live presenter is taking on the iconic London Marathon to raise funds for Alzheimer's Society, a cause that is deeply personal to her and her family.
Niamh will be running in memory of her beloved grandmother, affectionately known by many as “Nanny Nuts,” the ultimate matriarch whose larger-than-life personality and endless storytelling filled every room she entered.
Her life, Niamh says, was “filled with the most extravagant memories.” She was a woman with infinite stories to tell, stories that shaped generations of her family.
But in October 2022, the family said their final goodbye, while that day marked the physical loss of their matriarch, Niamh explains that the heartbreak had started long before.
“Losing a family member is hard enough,” she says. “But to lose someone so loved, for so long? To watch that person become unrecognizable? There really are no words.”
Dementia had gradually taken the vibrant storyteller they knew and loved. The woman who once filled the room with laughter and tales of the past slowly became unable to share them at all.
“When she couldn’t tell her stories anymore, our hearts broke. And that was just the start. They continued to break for years.”
Now, Niamh is turning grief into action.
“If you know me, you know I don’t run for anything,” she laughs. “But I’ll be running for Nanny Nuts.”
She is raising money for Alzheimer’s Society, the UK’s leading dementia charity, which provides vital support for families navigating the realities of dementia.
Dementia is the UK’s biggest health and social care crisis. One in three people will be diagnosed with dementia in their lifetime. Behind each diagnosis is not just one person, but an entire family learning how to cope with gradual loss.
Alzheimer’s Society offers a lifeline through specialist advisers, local support services, and over-the-phone guidance. Last year alone, their services were used more than six million times. Volunteers also made over 34,000 companion calls to help combat loneliness among people living with dementia.
Donations also help fund groundbreaking research. In the past year, £12.2 million was invested into cutting-edge projects aimed at improving treatment, care, and ultimately finding a cure.
“By funding these promising projects, we can be part of history,” Niamh says. “We can help find treatments — and one day, a cure.”
As she prepares to take on 26.2 miles through the streets of London, she carries with her not just the memory of her grandmother, but the voices and stories that dementia tried to silence.
This time, she’s making sure those stories are heard.
