A PARTY for princes and princesses was enjoyed at Lewannick School recently.

The event was organised by two Launceston women, Laura and her mother Jacquie Maynard, as part of their fundraising journey for the Alzheimer’s Society.

The pair first started raising money for the cause by taking part in the Memory Walk in Plymouth last year.

Their fundraising will continue with a wine and wisdom at Launceston Town Hall on May 26 at 7pm — £24 for a team of up to six people.

They are gearing up for their biggest fundraising challenge. In June, Jacquie and Laura will take part in the Jurassic Coast trek.

Laura saw her great-uncle suffer from vascular dementia, and said she wanted to support the Alzheimer’s Society to help people living with dementia.

Laura said: “When I was a teenager, my great-uncle, with whom I had a very close relationship, began to change. He was more guarded, and kept telling us the same stories and jokes — his favourite was about ‘twenty-six sheep in a field’ where the joke was in the Devonshire accent itself.

“By the time I was 18, my uncle was suspicious of who people were and what they wanted, but he always made sure he gave us a bar of chocolate when we visited. I now know he had vascular dementia, but as a teenager the word ‘dementia’ didn’t fathom in my vocabulary, and I just thought of his behaviour as being a normal part of aging.

“When I was 22, I found a job working in a nursing home, with a number of residents, some residents at varying stages of dementia. This was a job that made me laugh and cry in equal measure, and where I learnt that dementia isn’t inevitable, and it isn’t something that everyone will experience first-hand.

“I learnt most strikingly that as dementia progresses, it becomes harder for the families than for the person with dementia — I truly understand why it is often referred to as a condition where you lose people twice. It was from this — a job I initially took because it was there — that I realised this was my passion.”

She added: “One reason I love working with people with dementia is the stories. I love the stories that people tell either about their own past or the past of the person with dementia. Discovering who people are, and getting to know them, is incredible. And it’s an honour to work where I do.

“My great-uncle, who had always been brave, became scared as his dementia progressed, robbing him of his independence. That is why I want to be able to support the Alzheimer’s Society to help people living with dementia. Whilst I accept that that is what happened to my uncle, I will always remember him laughing as he passed us chocolate and told us about the twenty-six sheep in the field.”

The wine and wisdom will include a raffle, with prizes kindly donated from a number of businesses, including two family passes from Hidden Valley Discovery Park. There is even a £250 voucher donated from Brittany Ferries for a ferry crossing or holiday, and two return train tickets for Great Western Railway.

For more information on the wine and wisdom or to book, call Jacquie on 07526476163.

To sponsor them ahead of their Jurassic Coast trek, visit http://justgiving.com/lauras-jurassic-trek