A MOTHER and daughter duo have organised a charity walk in memory of a much-loved grandfather.

Jodie Eyre and Karen Jacobs are hosting the 6km trek around their beloved Mersea Island in aid of Alzheimer’s UK.

The pair were spurred on to organise the event following the death of Ms Eyre’s grandfather Malcolm Elliott, who died last year at the age of 67 after battling vascular dementia.

Ms Eyre said: “My grandad was a really strong man but he was diagnosed with vascular dementia and with that and all his other health problems he sadly died.

“We knew he was forgetting things and we knew something was wrong but to get him diagnosed with dementia was really quite difficult.

“He was in the Army in the past and was such a strong minded person but eventually it got to the point where he had to go into a care home.

“It hit my mum really badly. Having to watch a person you care about so much deteriorate and there is nothing you can do about it.

“We want to raise as much money as we can to help other people in the same situation.”

Ms Eyre’s paternal grandfather Peter Eyre also suffers from the same condition, meaning she had another reason to get behind the life-changing charity.

Alzheimer’s UK runs a series of Memory Walks across the country, however, there are none in the Colchester borough with the nearest being in Chelmsford.

The pair are hoping if the first event, on August 31, is a big enough success it will become a regular occurrence on the island.

Ms Eyre said: “We want the walk to be something we keep doing every year so we can get the message out.

“There will be a raffle which we are asking people to donate prizes for. We are doing a sweepstakes on how many steps we’re going to take along the route.

“My children are baking cakes for us to sell to make extra money.

“There will also sponsorship forms and we have a Just Giving page.”

The Memory Walk kicks off from The Victory in Mersea, at 10am.

Everyone is welcome to join, whether you have personal experience of Alzheimer’s or not.

Visit facebook.com/events/472610379983001 and bit.ly/2YQ7oEu to find out more.