Felpham carer will take on 13-mile Jurassic Coast trek for Alzheimer's Society
A care worker from Felpham is preparing to take on a gruelling 13-mile coastal trek to raise money for Alzheimer's Society, a cause she says is ‘very close to my heart’.
Vicki Marshall, 57, who works at Summerley Care Home – in Southview Road – will tackle the Trek26 Jurassic Coast Challenge on June 6, walking across the Dorset coastline to support people living with dementia and their families.
As a member of staff at a dementia-specialist care home, Vicki has spent years supporting people affected by the condition and said taking part in the fundraiser felt like a natural choice.
"I've been working in dementia care for quite some time and I wanted to do something that would challenge me personally," she said.
"It made perfect sense to support Alzheimer's Society because it's a cause that's very close to my heart. Having worked in dementia care for many years, it was easy to feel motivated to raise money for the charity."
Keen walker Vicki said this will be her first major fundraising challenge.
The Trek26 event offers participants the option of walking either 13 or 26 miles along the Jurassic Coast, with Vicki opting for the shorter route, which she says is still expected to be extremely demanding because of the steep climbs and descents.
"I've never done anything like this before," she said.
"I've been doing some training and I'm planning an 11-mile walk before the event. It's been billed as extremely difficult because of the terrain, but I'm looking forward to it now."
Adding to the challenge – on Saturday, June 6 – Vicki has chosen to complete the event independently.
She decided to take it on alone as part of a personal goal to step outside her comfort zone.
"Driving to Dorset on my own will probably be the first challenge," she said.
"Then there's completing the walk itself. But I wanted to do something completely independently."
Vicki entered the care sector after the Covid pandemic and now works at Summerley Care Home in Felpham, where she supports residents living with dementia.
She described the role as both challenging and rewarding, and said the experience has strengthened her determination to support charities working to improve care, support families and fund research.
"Dementia affects so many people," she said. "Whether it's someone living with the condition, a family member, a carer or a friend, almost everyone knows somebody whose life has been touched by it.
"If I can do anything to help support research, improve care or provide support for families affected by dementia, then that's really important to me."
The Trek26 Jurassic Coast Challenge, organised by the Alzheimer's Society, encourages participants to raise funds while exploring one of the UK's most iconic stretches of coastline.
The charity is working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives by providing support to those living with the condition today, campaigning to make dementia a national priority and funding groundbreaking research into future treatments and potential cures.
Vicki hopes her challenge will help raise both funds and awareness of a disease that affects millions of people across the UK.
Anyone wishing to support her fundraising efforts can donate through her Trek26 Jurassic Coast fundraising page ahead of the June 6 challenge. Funds raised will help Alzheimer's Society continue its work supporting people affected by dementia and their families while investing in research to improve outcomes for future generations.