A Devon care home colleague honoured her dearly missed grandmother after participating in the Bristol Half Marathon to raise over £3,000 for Alzheimer’s Society. Shaylee Harvey, 29, recently completed the Bristol Half Marathon, and she tipped her fundraising total past £3,000 in the process.
Shaylee honoured her grandmother, Marie Moore, who passed away in 2015 aged 99. Marie suffered from dementia late on in her life, and Shaylee wanted to fundraise for the charity in honour of her grandmother.
Shaylee - who works as a Care Assistant at HC-One’s Gittisham Hill House, in Honiton, Devon – had previously completed the Bath Half Marathon, the Bristol 10k and the Totnes Cross Country 10k. During each event, Shaylee completed each event to help fundraise for Alzheimer’s Society.
The Bristol Half Marathon took place on Sunday, May 19. Shaylee described the long-distance event as “mentally challenging”, but she was able to rally along to the finish line.
Talking after completing the race, Shaylee said:
“I entered the race around eight months ago and had been very nervous about it but, as the race day approached, I felt healthy. On the race day itself I felt good, I finished in a time of 2 hours and 21 minutes which I was really pleased with.
“There was amazing support throughout the route, with supporters shouting my name and getting me through it, and the sense of accomplishment and achievement at the end was fantastic.
“Best of all was the fact that we’ve managed to raise so much money for charity. In total I’ve been able to raise just over £3,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society across the four races I’ve completed so far.
“Sadly, my great nan, Marie Moore, passed away in 2015 when she was 99. She was a very strong lady who loved to knit and go to bingo most weekends, and I used to love having cups of tea and rich tea biscuits sat on her red chair while she was watching the television. She developed dementia later on in her life so that is why I’m supporting the Alzheimer’s Society.”
Shaylee also plans to take part in the Cardiff Half Marathon, which takes place in October, and she hopes to increase her fundraising figure even further.
Speaking on her role supporting people living with dementia as a Care Assistant at HC-One’s Gittisham Hill House, Shaylee stated:
“Looking after people who are experiencing dementia can be challenging but it is also very rewarding, and we care about our residents deeply.
I’ve been working at Gittisham Hill House for over five years and am currently studying hard to get my Level 2 in Adult Care, so I definitely feel like I’ve found my calling.”