Norfolk pensioner defies dementia to complete charity walk
A former Royal Navy officer and marathon runner has defied dementia to raise more than £1,000 following a 2,500-mile charity walk.
John Harris, from Norwich, who joined the Royal Navy at 16 and ran his first London Marathon when he was 70, has been receiving treatment from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT).
Mr Harris, who turns 86 this month, is currently a patient on the Trust’s Beach Ward – an acute admission ward at Hammerton Court, the Julian Hospital, in Norwich, for men with dementia and complexities in later life.
He and his wife Pamela are so pleased with the care he has received that they wanted to do something to help others living with dementia.
Mrs Harris said: “He has been a marathon runner all his life and started by running round the deck of his ship. He has run so many marathons, I’ve lost count.
“It has always been in his nature to help others – he was a member of Lions International for years – and when he saw Captain Sir Tom Moore’s fundraising walk, he wanted to do the same.”
They decided to raise £1,000 by walking 1,000 miles in a month for Beach and Rose Wards at Hammerton Court, the Alzheimer’s Society and the Pabulum dementia café in Wymondham.
Inspired by Mr Harris’s determination, staff on the ward walked with him, and on his behalf, to clock up the miles. Soon, other NSFT staff joined in and, together with the Harris’s family and friends, have walked 2,517 miles and raised £1,185 so far.
Chantell Ivory, a Clinical Support Worker on Beach Ward, said: “We were really touched by his kind offer and were inspired to join in. His mobility isn’t what it was when he was running marathons, so he couldn’t do it all himself, which is why staff joined in to support him.”
Mrs Harris added: “I would like to thank Chantell for organising the walk, everyone who joined in and all the staff for looking after John so well. He has always wanted to help others and doing this walk has given him a real sense of purpose.”
Anyone who would like to donate can still do so by visiting: nsft.uk/walkwithme
Find out more about raising money for NSFT’s Charitable Funds by visiting nsft.uk/charitablefunds