Ten-year-old Olivia Gardiner, who has right-sided hemiplegia - a form of cerebral palsy, took part in a six kilometre memory walk around the Gloucester Docks in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society, on Sunday, September 25th.

Olivia was joined by her Mum, Michelle, and her Mum’s colleague, Gill Jones. Michelle told the Ross Gazette that Olivia had seen the memory walk advertised, and decided that she wanted to take part, because her grandmother, Michelle’s Mum, was diagnosed with Dementia in December last year.

Michelle said that her Mum has good days and bad days, but her short term memory has gone. She still lives at home and Michelle’s dad cares for her; the couple have been married for 54 years. “She still knows who were all are,” Michelle said.

Michelle added that Olivia, after seeing her grandmother living with the disease, decided she wanted to do something to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society, and she jumped at the chance to do the memory walk.

However, Olivia’s condition, hemiplegia, made the memory walk quite difficult for her. “She suffers pain doing endurance walking,” Michelle explained.

When doing the endurance walk, Olivia, Michelle and Gill walked four laps around Gloucester Docks. During the last lap, Olivia was having some pain, but she didn’t give up, and she got the group to speed up, to make sure they completed their challenge. Michelle told the Ross Gazette: "I’m so proud of her."

So far, Olivia has raised more than £500 for the Alzheimer’s Society. If you would like to sponsor her, please visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/MW16michellegardiner.

Alternatively, to sponsor the team, call into the TSB branch in Ross-on-Wye, where Michelle and Gill work.