Memory allows for a kind of mental time travel, a way for us to picture not just the past but also a version of the future. I drift off into the most wonderful daydreams on the daily: reminiscing of family adventures to Center Parcs, playing gladiators with my brother, or pondering those who I’ve loved along the way. But as we live our lives we build practical memories too, that simply help us function – to remind us that a grumbling tummy means hunger, that the sour scent from the milk carton is a ruined breakfast and that the shower runs at a blistering heat if turned full left.
To lose my memory is my biggest fear.
225,000 people in the UK will develop dementia this year – that’s one every three minutes – and, so, it remains the sad fact that many of us will be effected by its cruel symptoms. And, as it stands, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease or any other type of dementia, and research is desperately underfunded. For every person living with dementia, the annual cost to the UK economy is over £30,000 and yet only £90 is spent on dementia research each year.
With 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, and numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025, something needs to be done. Well, Alzheimer’s Society here and committed to spending at least £150 million over the next decade on dementia research to improve care for people today and find a cure for tomorrow. This includes £50 million to develop the UK’s first dedicated Dementia Research Institute. And we can contribute to this cause in one of the simplest and most delicious ways… with cake!
#CupcakeDay is back on 14 June 2018 and everyone’s invited! In 2017, Cupcake Day raised over one million pounds for people affected by dementia, and we want to make this year’s event even bigger and better!
It’s a day when people across the nation unite to fight dementia with the most mighty of weapons: the wooden spoon. Yes, for hotshot bakers and first-time makers alike, this is a fantastic opportunity to do something fun, creative and very tasty in support of Alzheimer’s Society.
So here’s your recipe for the perfect #CupcakeDay…
- Sign up to host a Cupcake Day and receive your free fundraising kit in the post
- Set the date: Cupcake Day is 14 June, but you can host yours any day that suits you
- Decide when and where to host your day: at home, at work, up a mountain… the choice is yours
- Start baking and/or get your friends baking for you (or buy cupcakes from the shop – yes, it’s allowed!)
- Raise as much ‘dough’ as possible to help beat dementia.
Gather all your colleagues, friends and family to bring, buy and eat cupcakes! Your fundraising kit and the #CupcakeDay website are full of great games and sweepstakes you can play on the day. And you could even turn up the heat by pitting teams against each other bake-off style.
A very big, very heartfelt thank you for your support. If you have any questions, just drop the lovely folk at Alzheimer’s UK a line at cupcakeday@alzheimers.org.uk or on 0300 222 5770.