Iceland food chain backs dementia campaign with a cool £50,000 donation
- Dementia Carers Together is an appeal run by Mail Force in association with Alzheimer's Society, delivering vital support to the UK's unpaid dementia carers. To donate, visit the Dementia Carers Together fundraising page
By SHAUN WOOLLER, EXECUTIVE HEALTH EDITOR
Published: | Updated:
The Daily Mail's dementia carers appeal has received a £50,000 boost from supermarket chain Iceland as its boss spoke of the toll the disease took on his family.
Richard Walker, whose mother died from Alzheimer's in 2021, said he knew first-hand the 'enormous strain' of watching a loved one deteriorate.
The executive chairman has previously raised vast sums for dementia research but stressed that families struggling with the disease need help today – and 'can't wait for a cure'.
Lord Walker, 46, acknowledged his wealthy family had been fortunate to afford professional carers who allowed his mother to remain at home and he now wants to help others who have been affected.
He said: 'We're very fortunate given our background and mum was able to stay at home because we could afford the care to keep her there.
'Of course, 99.9 per cent of people don't have that luxury and we need to support people living with dementia and those looking after them and affected inadvertently by it today.'
His mother, Lady Walker, who helped found Iceland alongside his father Sir Malcolm, was 64 when she was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer's in 2010.
Lord Walker, then 30, described the diagnosis as a devastating shock.
Richard Walker, who is the executive chairman of supermarket chain Iceland, is pictured in the chain's Bermondsey, London, store
He said: 'You don't expect to have a death sentence put on your parents whilst you're still young yourself.'
The donation will go to the Dementia Carers Together Appeal, which will deliver new nationwide six-week courses for friends and relatives of people living with the disease.
Delivered in partnership with Alzheimer's Society, the sessions will give carers vital support and information about their rights and the services available to them.
They will allow attendees to meet others in a similar situation and help to address the loneliness, exhaustion and overwhelming responsibilities many face following a loved one's diagnosis.
Lord Walker recalled watching the disease rob his mother of her independence, leaving her unable to speak, recognise loved ones or feed herself.
He said: 'The reality is the end is brutal. You lose the ability to speak and recognise people. You can't feed yourself. You can't do anything.'
He said his father was 'heroic' in ensuring his mum received the care she needed but the ordeal took a heavy toll on the entire family.
Lord Walker said the experience had motivated him to join the family firm and climb Mount Everest in her honour, raising money for dementia research in the process.
He said scientists are making encouraging progress with new treatments and continued funding for more research is essential but families also need help immediately.
Giving his backing to the Dementia Carers Together appeal, he said: 'Families are dealing with the reality of dementia right now, and they can't wait for a cure.'
Lord Walker also spoke movingly about milestones his mum never lived to witness, including his appointment to the House of Lords as a Labour peer this year.
Explaining his continued determination to fight the disease, he said: 'Alzheimer's robbed mum of those precious latter years, and also it robs me and my kids of precious time with her. She would not have believed I'd be in the House of Lords.
'People need support now because research obviously is about tomorrow, and support is about today.'
Lord Walker said Alzheimer's Society representatives are due to visit Iceland's headquarters to discuss further opportunities. And he is considering using his position in the Lords to promote awareness of the disease.
Iceland and Lord Walker have raised millions of pounds for dementia charities over the past decade and trained 28,000 employees as Dementia Friends.
Dementia Carers Together
Dementia Carers Together is raising money to fund new courses across the UK to give tens of thousands of struggling unpaid dementia carers vital emotional and practical support.
For further information, visit dailymail.com/dementia
How you can donate
Online: Click here.
By Text: To donate £10, text CARER to 70115. To donate £20, text LOVE to 70115. To donate £30, text HEART to 70115. Texts will cost your donation amount plus your network charge.
By phone: Call 0300 1234577. Standard charges may apply.
By cheque: Send cheques made payable to Mail Force Charity to:
Dementia Carers Together, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester CO2 8JY
READ MORE:
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- SARAH VINE: It was a blessed relief when my dementia stricken father finally died
- Help us back UK's dementia carers: Daily Mail launches major appeal to fund vital new support network
- 'The despair in her eyes was unbelievable': In heartbreaking detail, a husband recounts how his wife's Alzheimer's diagnosis devastated both of their lives
- Dementia carers' postcode lottery: As Mail launches landmark fundraising appeal, heartbreaking figures reveal how looking after loved ones hits families' quality of life differently around the UK
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