Latest news with #ForgetMeNotAppeal
South Wales Argus
11-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Argus
Great British Bake Off star supports dementia campaign
Andy Ryan, who appeared on last year's Great British Bake Off, is backing the Alzheimer's Society's Forget Me Not Tea Party campaign, which raises funds for dementia research and support. The campaign follows the charity's Forget Me Not Appeal, which ran throughout June and encouraged people to wear a Forget Me Not badge in solidarity with those affected by dementia. Mr Ryan, whose nan had dementia, said: "It's easy to feel isolated, yet it's crucial for families to know they're not alone. "The Alzheimer's Society Forget Me Not Tea Parties are a great way to come together and support each other while helping to increase funding for vital research and support. "No one should have to navigate this alone." More than 50,000 people in Wales are living with dementia, and the Alzheimer's Society provides support to them and their families.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Warrington's Gladiator winner backs appeal in honour of her late mum
WARRINGTON'S Gladiator has backed an Alzheimer's Society appeal in honour of her late mum. Amanda Wah, who lives in Lymm, soared through the latest season of the BBC TV show and claimed victory in the tense grand final. The gym owner dedicated her triumph to her mum, Allyson, who was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia at 55. 'My mum was always there for us,' said Amanda. 'She was a stubborn lady and very supportive of the whole family. She never dropped the ball. 'But she was only 55 when she was diagnosed with dementia back in 2015. She'd been having problems with her speech for a while, but the doctors put it down to menopause. 'At first she was slurring her words, but later she started to lose her speech entirely.' Amanda dedicated her victory to her mum (Image: Alex Hughes) Allyson was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a type of frontotemporal dementia which progressed over time. People diagnosed with PPA can have trouble remembering words and names of objects, and others may struggle to speak at their usual speed or use words in the right order. 'When mum first got her diagnosis, we made the most of every day, taking trips and visiting places she'd always wanted to see,' said Amanda. 'We used phone apps to communicate. She didn't lose her memory, but the Covid lockdowns had a massive impact. We really saw a big deterioration and by 2023 she was struggling to eat and had lost a lot of weight. 'Things got harder for the family, especially my dad who cared for mum at home. We lost her in April 2023.' This month, Amanda is proudly wearing a Forget Me Not badge as part of Alzheimer's Society's Forget Me Not Appeal. Read more Boyfriend, dad and friends of woman who fought cancer twice team up for big challenge Why two vital Warrington charities came together on one memorable night Race for Life countdown as Warrington cancer fundraiser returns 'We are so grateful to Amanda for supporting our Forget Me Not Appeal,' said Jess Mackenzie, Alzheimer's Society Regional Fundraiser for Cheshire. 'One in three people born in the UK will develop dementia in their lifetime. Dementia affects all of us. 'Every donation to the Forget Me Not Appeal helps fund crucial Alzheimer's Society services and groundbreaking dementia research. 'Everyone will have their own reason for wearing a badge, it could be in honour of a loved one receiving life-changing support, or in recognition of the groundbreaking research shaping the future for those living with dementia.' To find out more about the appeal, and to donate, visit
Scotsman
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Gemma Dryburgh on birdie mission for Alzheimer's Society in $12m women's major
Scot out to boost Forget Me Not Appeal at PGA Frisco in Texas Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Gemma Dryburgh, the Scottish No 1, is hoping this week's KPM Women's PGA Championship will throw up lots of birdie opportunities at PGA Frisco in Texas. First and foremost, the Aberdonian will be aiming to get herself in the mix in the second women's major of the season on the Fields Reach East course at the home of the PGA of America. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For every birdie she makes, meanwhile, Dryburgh is pledging £20 to the Alzheimer's Society's Forget Me Not Appeal as a show of support as an Alzheimer's Society Sport Champion. Gemma Dryburgh is hoping to have something to smile about in this week's KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Texas |The 2023 Solheim Cup player has already donated £340 after making 17 birdies in last week's Meijer LPGA Classic, won by Spaniard Carlota Ciganda, in Michigan. 'My grandmother was diagnosed with dementia in 2020, so I have seen first-hand how dementia affects not just the person but their families and loved ones, too,' said Dryburgh, who is flying the Saltire on her own in this week's $12 million event. 'She was always there to watch me play sport, playing a hugely important role in my life, so I'm really proud to be a Sport Champion and use my platform to make a difference to others affected.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The KPMG Women's PGA Championship field is annually the strongest in women's golf and the 2025 edition features all of the top 100 players in the current Race to CME Globe Rankings on the LPGA. Twelve KPMG Women's PGA champions spearhead the line up, namely Amy Yang (2024), Ruoning Yin (2023), In Gee Chun (2022), Nelly Korda (2021), Sei Young Kim (2020), Hannah Green (2019), Sung Hyun Park (2018), Danielle Kang (2017), Brooke Henderson (2016), Yani Tseng (2011, 2008), Cristie Kerr (2010) and new European Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist (2009). Rising British star Mimi Rhodes secures special exemption England's Mimi Rhodes, who helped Great Britain & Ireland win the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale last summer, and 2020 ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open champion Stacy Lewis both received special exemptions into the field. Rhodes currently tops the LET money-list after landing three wins in her rookie season while Lewis is a two-time major champion and former world No.1.
Telegraph
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Sir Jonathan Pryce: I played an old b-----d who had dementia. It didn't define him
This June sees the return of Alzheimer's Society's Forget Me Not Appeal, which funds life-changing support and groundbreaking research for the UK's biggest killer – dementia. We will be talking to people who have been affected by it – from a carer, to a widower, to a scientific researcher. Meet the first in our series, Sir Jonathan Pryce CBE, who played a character with dementia in the hit Apple TV+ show Slow Horses, and whose beloved Aunt Mair lived with dementia. Some of my best roles have come in my later years, such as playing Pope Francis in The Two Popes, or Prince Philip in The Crown. Recently, I attended the Baftas, where I was nominated for best supporting actor for my role playing former agent with dementia David Cartwright in Slow Horses. Known as 'The old b-----d' in the books the series were based on, David had a history of not being a nice man, who just happened to have dementia as part of the story. I didn't want that to define him. I know there are actors who can reel off all the research they've done to get in character, but for me it's more just trying to absorb who the person is, the way they behave and react to people. The way others react to them. When playing someone who is a bit lost and forgetful, searching for words as well as things, I found myself actually 'going in on myself', withdrawing into my own world as someone with dementia does. Sometimes, truthfully, I found myself going in too deep with that. I had to be careful, it could be quite punishing. Paranoia is a common symptom of the disease but, as a former MI6 agent, Cartwright thinking people were following him and trying to kill him wasn't just paranoia. There were many secrets locked in his brain. Slow Horses wasn't the first time I'd played a character with dementia. I was in a play before that, The Height of the Storm, and one of the most moving experiences was being greeted by a man in his 50s at the stage door after the show. He told me he'd recently lost his father, after giving up his job to care for him through Alzheimer's. All that time he'd managed alone as the carer, never getting emotional. He told me that watching the play was the first time he'd allowed himself to cry about it. That's deeply humbling as an actor. While I didn't base my portrayal in Slow Horses on anyone in particular, I too have lived through a loved one losing their memory. My beloved Aunt Mair was in her 90s when she went into a care home in North Wales. Mair said to me: 'I don't care if I die'. And I replied, 'I don't mind you dying, but I don't want you dying in pain after falling down the stairs.' She only really had dementia at the end. One of the last times I saw her she didn't recognise me. I said, 'it's Jon'. And she replied: 'Oh, I have a nephew called Jon, he's a famous actor.' While I found her forgetting me upsetting, when I relayed this to my son, he said, 'no Dad, she remembers you – she just doesn't recognise you.' I found that notion comforting. Dementia can be hugely isolating, which is why Alzheimer's Society is so invaluable, showing people they're not alone. I fell into being a charity ambassador really, after I was asked to take part in a service at St Paul's Cathedral several years ago. Doing a reading at St Paul's had always been on my bucket list – so I had to say yes. Watching Alzheimer's Society's Singing for the Brain Choir moved me to tears, and afterwards I agreed to help the charity any way I could. Around a million people in the UK are living with dementia today – it's the UK's biggest killer and, with our ageing population, its prevalence is rising. The charity does great work in trying to remove some of the prejudices around the condition (which is caused by diseases of the brain), but really I wish the Government would provide more funding for the NHS to do this work, instead of letting the charity fill in the gaps. At the age of 78, I can honestly say that there's nothing at all about getting older that frightens me. When I was a younger man, I was afraid of ageing, mostly because I'd lived through my father getting ill and having a terrible old age himself. But now I realise there's nothing to fear – getting old is inevitable. Neither do I ever consider which is worse, losing one's mental faculties or one's physical abilities. I hope I don't have to make that choice. I am the age I am, and I'm embracing it. Keeping working has been key for me. When I was a young actor, I'd stupidly say that I planned to retire at 60. I'd seen older actors being patronised on film sets (don't ask me who, I'll say I can't remember). I'd grown up watching these big stars on television be reduced to smaller and smaller roles. I didn't want to be that guy. I'd want to go and speak to one of the directors and say, 'you do realise who this person is? They need to be treated with respect'. But I've kept working and, as far as I know, I haven't seen anyone being taken into a corner saying, 'you do realise this is Jonathan Pryce – he used to be famous!' Of course, I'm nearly always the oldest person on any set now, and happily there are younger people in the industry who appreciate people like me bringing decades of life experience with them. While I don't fear old age, or what might come next, I do everything I can to stay well – physically and mentally. Every morning, I do all the puzzles in The New York Times, competing online with a friend to keep us both on our toes. I do word searches, crosswords and Wordle, always proudly texting him if I can get it in two. When I was a young man, I could memorise a page of dialogue after just a few readings. I still can, more or less. I've had to get more organised over the years, though; if I haven't put something in my diary, it won't happen. I'm less impulsive than I was, and I like to get everywhere early. As a family [Jonathan has three adult children with his wife Kate Fahy], we've always eaten well. We generally eat a Mediterranean diet. I eat meat and everything else – moderation is the secret. Same with alcohol. I do enjoy a nice red wine with dinner. I exercise too. There was a wonderful period when I had a set schedule filming The Crown and I saw a personal trainer twice a week. These days, I try to walk everywhere I can, and if I'm outside of London, I cycle. Admittedly, it's on an electronically assisted bike these days, but that still helps mobility. Apart from my eldest son, who's in New York, I'm lucky enough to live close to my family in London, and I find my children inspirational, and my wife of course. My main ambition now is to keep working. I may not be in line to play the next James Bond, but there are still interesting parts coming my way. My cab driver this morning told me he was 66 and couldn't wait to retire. I said, 'don't do that! I've seen friends retire early, and it doesn't turn out well. Don't stop!' As an actor, I'm lucky I don't need to retire, although it could retire me of course. All l really want is to be creative, enjoy life and campaign for the causes I care about. As told to Susanna Galton Sir Jonathan is an Ambassador for Alzheimer's Society and is supporting the charity's appeal. Donate here.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sir Jonathan Pryce: ‘Dementia is the UK's biggest killer – we need to do more to remove the prejudice'
This June sees the return of Alzheimer's Society's Forget Me Not Appeal, which funds life-changing support and groundbreaking research for the UK's biggest killer – dementia. We will be talking to people who have been affected by it – from a carer, to a widower, to a scientific researcher. Meet the first in our series, Sir Jonathan Pryce CBE, who played a character with dementia in the hit Apple TV+ show Slow Horses, and whose beloved Aunt Mair lived with dementia. Some of my best roles have come in my later years, such as playing Pope Francis in The Two Popes, or Prince Philip in The Crown. Recently, I attended the Baftas, where I was nominated for best supporting actor for my role playing former agent with dementia David Cartwright in Slow Horses. Known as 'The old b-----d' in the books the series were based on, David had a history of not being a nice man, who just happened to have dementia as part of the story. I didn't want that to define him. I know there are actors who can reel off all the research they've done to get in character, but for me it's more just trying to absorb who the person is, the way they behave and react to people. The way others react to them. When playing someone who is a bit lost and forgetful, searching for words as well as things, I found myself actually 'going in on myself', withdrawing into my own world as someone with dementia does. Sometimes, truthfully, I found myself going in too deep with that. I had to be careful, it could be quite punishing. Paranoia is a common symptom of the disease but, as a former MI6 agent, Cartwright thinking people were following him and trying to kill him wasn't just paranoia. There were many secrets locked in his brain. Slow Horses wasn't the first time I'd played a character with dementia. I was in a play before that, The Height of the Storm, and one of the most moving experiences was being greeted by a man in his 50s at the stage door after the show. He told me he'd recently lost his father, after giving up his job to care for him through Alzheimer's. All that time he'd managed alone as the carer, never getting emotional. He told me that watching the play was the first time he'd allowed himself to cry about it. That's deeply humbling as an actor. While I didn't base my portrayal in Slow Horses on anyone in particular, I too have lived through a loved one losing their memory. My beloved Aunt Mair was in her 90s when she went into a care home in North Wales. Mair said to me: 'I don't care if I die'. And I replied, 'I don't mind you dying, but I don't want you dying in pain after falling down the stairs.' She only really had dementia at the end. One of the last times I saw her she didn't recognise me. I said, 'it's Jon'. And she replied: 'Oh, I have a nephew called Jon, he's a famous actor.' While I found her forgetting me upsetting, when I relayed this to my son, he said, 'no Dad, she remembers you – she just doesn't recognise you.' I found that notion comforting. Dementia can be hugely isolating, which is why Alzheimer's Society is so invaluable, showing people they're not alone. I fell into being a charity ambassador really, after I was asked to take part in a service at St Paul's Cathedral several years ago. Doing a reading at St Paul's had always been on my bucket list – so I had to say yes. Watching Alzheimer's Society's Singing for the Brain Choir moved me to tears, and afterwards I agreed to help the charity any way I could. Around a million people in the UK are living with dementia today – it's the UK's biggest killer and, with our ageing population, its prevalence is rising. The charity does great work in trying to remove some of the prejudices around the condition (which is caused by diseases of the brain), but really I wish the Government would provide more funding for the NHS to do this work, instead of letting the charity fill in the gaps. At the age of 78, I can honestly say that there's nothing at all about getting older that frightens me. When I was a younger man, I was afraid of ageing, mostly because I'd lived through my father getting ill and having a terrible old age himself. But now I realise there's nothing to fear – getting old is inevitable. Neither do I ever consider which is worse, losing one's mental faculties or one's physical abilities. I hope I don't have to make that choice. I am the age I am, and I'm embracing it. Keeping working has been key for me. When I was a young actor, I'd stupidly say that I planned to retire at 60. I'd seen older actors being patronised on film sets (don't ask me who, I'll say I can't remember). I'd grown up watching these big stars on television be reduced to smaller and smaller roles. I didn't want to be that guy. I'd want to go and speak to one of the directors and say, 'you do realise who this person is? They need to be treated with respect'. But I've kept working and, as far as I know, I haven't seen anyone being taken into a corner saying, 'you do realise this is Jonathan Pryce – he used to be famous!' Of course, I'm nearly always the oldest person on any set now, and happily there are younger people in the industry who appreciate people like me bringing decades of life experience with them. While I don't fear old age, or what might come next, I do everything I can to stay well – physically and mentally. Every morning, I do all the puzzles in The New York Times, competing online with a friend to keep us both on our toes. I do word searches, crosswords and Wordle, always proudly texting him if I can get it in two. When I was a young man, I could memorise a page of dialogue after just a few readings. I still can, more or less. I've had to get more organised over the years, though; if I haven't put something in my diary, it won't happen. I'm less impulsive than I was, and I like to get everywhere early. As a family [Jonathan has three adult children with his wife Kate Fahy], we've always eaten well. We generally eat a Mediterranean diet. I eat meat and everything else – moderation is the secret. Same with alcohol. I do enjoy a nice red wine with dinner. I exercise too. There was a wonderful period when I had a set schedule filming The Crown and I saw a personal trainer twice a week. These days, I try to walk everywhere I can, and if I'm outside of London, I cycle. Admittedly, it's on an electronically assisted bike these days, but that still helps from my eldest son, who's in New York, I'm lucky enough to live close to my family in London, and I find my children inspirational, and my wife of course. My main ambition now is to keep working. I may not be in line to play the next James Bond, but there are still interesting parts coming my way. My cab driver this morning told me he was 66 and couldn't wait to retire. I said, 'don't do that! I've seen friends retire early, and it doesn't turn out well. Don't stop!' As an actor, I'm lucky I don't need to retire, although it could retire me of course. All l really want is to be creative, enjoy life and campaign for the causes I care about. As told to Susanna Galton Sir Jonathan is an Ambassador for Alzheimer's Society and is supporting the charity's appeal. Donate at Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
