A woman who decided to work for families of people suffering with dementia will be raising money for the Alzheimer's Society when she run’s the London Marathon.

Cheryl Gething is a dementia activity worker in Hammersmith & Fulham, and lives in Westminster.

The mum-of-three decided to dedicate her life to the illness after watching her grandfather succumb to it over 10 years ago.

She said: “It broke mine and my family’s hearts to watch the man we loved so much struggle with simple, everyday tasks when previously he was such a proud, independent person.

“He deteriorated quickly and could no longer retain family and friends names and was often very confused within familiar surroundings.

“It was then that I decided that I would like to support people and their families living with dementia.”

She has worked as a specialist dementia carer for eight years before progressing into her current role as a dementia activity support worker.

Now she is preparing to help people with dementia in a different way, by running 26.2 mile course.

She said: “As a result of this, I decided to run the marathon with no previous athletic experience.

"It has been an arduous journey and has definitely been demanding at times, especially while trying to juggle family life and work on top of this, but it’s for a cause I am truly passionate about and I know that once I pass that finish line it will all be worth it.”

She can be sponsored on www.justgiving.com/cheryl-gething.