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Chris Mason

October Dog Walking Challenge 2025

Help me reach my goal of £500

My Activity Tracking

52
mi

Millie & I are taking on the October Dog Walking Challenge

We recently lost my sister, Kate, to dementia, and I know many friends and colleagues have been affected by the disease. So I’m walking 75 miles with the Ginger Ninja this October and raising funds for families affected by dementia. I would be grateful for your support.

I will be posting updates, pictures and videos as I go and will be offering guest slots for anyone who wants to join us on a walk.

An £8 donation could cover the telephone costs of two families seeking support through Dementia UK's free Helpline. £33 could fund an hour with a dementia specialist Admiral Nurse, helping a family with practical solutions and emotional support.

Thank you!

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

£501 + £117 GiftAid

My Goal

£500

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My Updates

Dressed the part

Sunday 28th Sep
Millie's got her bandana and is now ready to go. Full disclosure - this was the one photo I managed to get before she tried to eat the bandana. Labradork!

Why am I doing this?

Saturday 20th Sep
I have many friends and colleagues who support family members with dementia. Closer to my heart is my sister Kate who we lost in July, but lost her to dementia several years ago. Many of you who know me would have known Kate. For those that didn't, here are some words I wrote for her funeral...

Remembering Kate

It’s hard to sum up a life like Kate’s. She was so vividly present — so full of joy, affection, and personality — that words feel a bit small in comparison.

Kate was my little sister, three years younger than me. And like most younger siblings, she could be pretty annoying to an older brother. Always around, always watching, always with something to say. Her Down’s Syndrome wasn’t really visible to me growing up. She was just Kate. My sister. Unique. Special in the real sense of the word. Not because of her condition, but because of who she was.

Kate had a gift for turning heads and lighting up rooms. Her smile could disarm the grumpiest of moods, and her laugh - a sort of joyful Muttley chuckle - was completely infectious. You’d feel yourself smiling without even knowing what was funny.

There is a long list of things she loved; music, musicals, movies, TV, dancing, cooking, collecting recipes, crafts and weaving. And she was joyously enthusiastic about all of them. She also claimed to enjoy walking and exercise, but in truth, she was far more likely to have a headache or the wrong shoes when the actual walking began. Especially if there was a good DVD to watch.

Kate had a whole collection of nicknames and catchphrases, each one delivered with perfect comic timing. She didn’t just call me her brother; I was always “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” And that was Kate all over. Warm-hearted, playful, and deeply loving.

Everyone who spent time with Kate loved her. That’s not just something people say, she genuinely brought out the best in others. She was cheeky with her carers, mischievous even, but always affectionate. And if she wanted something, she had a way of getting it. A determined streak, yes,  but wrapped in wit and kindness that made resistance futile.

In truth, Kate was a magnet for good people. She drew kindness out of everyone she met, and in doing so, created a kind of community around her — family, friends, carers — many of whom remained part of her life for years, even decades. That might be the best kind of legacy anyone can leave.

The final years were hard. Dementia came quickly and took her from us far too early. The Kate we all knew and loved became quiet and distant. For almost a decade, the light that had shone so brightly dimmed in ways that were painful to witness. But that doesn’t take away from the fullness of the life she lived. 

So today, we celebrate Kate. Her laugh, her sparkle, her humour. Her talent for friendship. Her total lack of guile. And her way of making you feel — whoever you were — like you mattered.

She was a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a favourite to so many. And though we miss her deeply, we hold her close through the stories, the smiles, and the joy she gave so freely.

A good life, well lived. That was Kate.

Thank you to my Sponsors

£200

Julia Mason

Good Luck!

£50

Chris Mason

£50

Becky

Such a great cause we have all been touched by dementia in our families I’m sure.

£33

Mrs J Wise

Good Luck

£33

Alison Lloyd

£33

John And Lis

Good luck Millie ( Oh, and Chris!)

£30

Dave Lloyd

Good luck Chris (and the Ninja!! 😀) 👍

£30

Tom Mason

Good Luck! From T & V

£20

Don

Great cause. Good luck

£12

Anonymous

£10

Dave Walker