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Jessica Smith

Walk 31 Miles in May 2026

Help me reach my goal of £150

Join the Facebook group for Walk 31 miles in May challenge.

I'm walking 31 Miles in May for Dementia UK

This May, I’m walking 31 miles to raise funds so that no family has to face dementia alone.

My friend is living with dementia. She’s turning 90 this year, still physically strong and full of that stubborn spark that makes her who she is. But dementia doesn’t care about strength. It chips away at confidence, independence, and the small routines that make a day feel like your own. Watching that happen to someone you care about is heartbreaking.

That’s why I’m doing this. Because families and carers deserve support. Because people living with dementia deserve dignity. And because specialist Admiral Nurses can make an enormous difference when things feel overwhelming.

If you’re able to donate, even a little, it genuinely helps. £33 could fund an hour of expert support for a family trying to navigate the hardest moments.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for any support you can give.

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

£194 + £48.50 GiftAid

My Goal

£150

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My Achievements

Shared Page

Updated Profile Pic

Added a Blog Post

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Received 5 Donations

Reached Fundraising Goal

Increased Target Over £250

My Updates

Walking for the Minds That Wander

Friday 15th May
Today I  managed a longer walk. It felt good, but I won’t pretend it’s been easy. Work is busy, life is lifing, and squeezing in miles between everything else has been a challenge in itself.

Meanwhile, my neighbour, the woman who inspired me to take this on, walks miles every single day without even thinking about it. She’ll do laps of the block with the dog. She’ll march to the police station to report crimes that haven’t happened. She’ll head to the park to collect sticks for reasons that remain a mystery to all of us. Physically, she is strong, capable, and endlessly on the move.

And yet her mind is deteriorating rapidly.

That contrast is one of the cruellest parts of dementia. A body that’s fit as a fiddle, paired with a mind that’s slipping away. It’s surreal to witness. Heartbreaking. And a constant reminder that dementia isn’t just about forgetting things, it’s about losing pieces of yourself while the world carries on around you.

What makes it even harder is the “care” she receives. She is assessed constantly. Professionals agree she is getting worse. Everyone nods, writes notes, ticks boxes… and then nothing changes. No extra support. No meaningful intervention. No safety net. Just neighbours, friends and family trying to hold things together while the system shrugs.

That’s why I’m doing this challenge.

Because families shouldn’t have to fight this hard.
Because people living with dementia deserve better.
Because carers deserve real support, not endless assessments and no action.
Because Admiral Nurses - funded by Dementia UK - are often the only lifeline people get.

A donation of £25 could pay for a carer to receive an hour of one‑to‑one support from a specialist Admiral Nurse on the free Helpline. That hour can be the difference between coping and breaking.

If you’re able to support me, I’d be so grateful.
Every mile I walk is for her and for every family living through the same heartbreak.

Why am I doing this

Friday 1st May
Dementia doesn’t arrive all at once. It creeps into the edges of everyday life, first as small confusions, then as patterns, and eventually as a constant presence you adapt to without even realising you’ve changed.

For me, it’s become part of the rhythm of daily life because someone I care about, my friend and neighbour, is living with it. And when dementia moves into someone’s life, it moves into the lives of the people around them too.

Some days we get three knocks on the door or more to report that her car has been “stolen”. The truth is far sadder: the car was taken away when she could no longer drive safely, but in her mind it disappears again and again, each time as frightening as the first.

Other days she asks what day it is because she has “no calendars”, even though her house is full of them, collected over the years. She writes notes to help herself remember, but sometimes the notes are based on fear or confusion, and reading them shows me how scared she must be.

Her days and nights have become unpredictable. Sometimes she sleeps so long I worry the curtains haven’t been opened. Other times she’s awake all night, moving around the house, and I listen out to make sure she's ok.

This week, she was frightened when the doctor came. I sat with her while they took bloods and as someone who faints at the sight of a needle, that was a moment I didn’t expect to be capable of. But dementia changes the people around it too. It stretches you, softens you, and sometimes breaks your heart a little.

I love my friend. I remember the person she was. Sharp, funny, independent, proud. And I care for the person she is now, even when the two versions feel worlds apart. Supporting her has become part of my everyday life, merging into the school runs, the work calls, the dinners, the evenings.

And I know there will come a time when I won’t be able to help in the same way anymore. That’s the part that sits heavy. Loving someone through dementia means loving them while slowly letting go.

But for now, I do what I can. I show up. I answer the knocks. I reassure. I sit beside her when she’s scared. I adapt. And I hold onto the truth that she is still my friend - not defined by her confusion, but by the life she lived and the connection we still share.

Dementia is not just a condition. It’s a quiet reshaping of everyday life. And it deserves to be seen, understood, and talked about with honesty and compassion.

Thank you to my Sponsors

£33

Mum

Well done x

£30

Stu Beattie

Good luck Jess, such a great cause

£25

Mary Humphrey

Well done

£20

Rita Gulrajani

You will smash it like everything you do and this is for a fab cause.

£19

Ben And Shardha

Good luck.

£19

Christine Duchemin

£19

Ben And Shardha

Congratulations and well done to you all.

£19

Tamsin Virgo

Well done you. Especially in the heat of the last week! This is such an important cause and one that affects so many people - congrats on achieving your goal! xx

£10

Sharon Loivette

Brilliant initiative Jess- wishing you and your feet good luck :) x