A LADY from Stratton has recently completed a five mile walk, raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society, a charity close to her family’s heart.

Marilyn Smith was sat at home one afternoon when she saw an advert whilst watching television, explaining what members of the public can do to support the Alzheimer’s Society charity and people living with dementia. Instantly, she knew she wanted to do something to help, as she would hate to develop the disease herself.

No stranger to the dark world of dementia, Marilyn’s mother-in-law has been living with the condition for a number of years, and Marilyn knew she could do something to help, but was unsure of how she could do it.

She owns holiday cottages in Bude and is constantly busy, always cleaning and providing a welcoming stay for holidaymakers and tourists visiting the area.

However, a visit from her sister, who lives in Australia, suggested that Marilyn could use this to her advantage by asking the visitors to sponsor her and support her on a walk for charity.

Her sister was the first person to donate with £20. This was soon followed by a number of £10 and £20 donations from visitors at her holiday cottages. Soon after, more of Marilyn’s friends and family knew of her aim to fundraise, and she found herself with £110, raising her target amount to £200.

A friend, who owns a local shop in Bude, soon got involved too, encouraging people to donate whilst passing by. Marilyn was astounded to find that she had raised £420, and increased her fundraising goal to £500.

After gaining a permit to collect money with a bucket — which she described as a ‘horrendous’ and ‘very worrying’ ordeal — Marilyn proceeded to get ready for her five-mile walk.

Taking place on the drizzly morning of Sunday, August 28, Marilyn was joined by her army of supporters, including Liv, Harvey and Charlotte Cook, who holiday in Bude every year; Nik Stanbury, and her dog, Ruby, who attracted members of the public to say ‘hello’ along the way. Marilyn said of her little companion: “She has a mouth on her, but she loves everyone.”

Marilyn, Ruby and her supporters managed to collect £150 on the day of the walk, adding to her ever increasing fundraising total.

Following a recent donation from NatWest, Marilyn’s total shot up to £781.94.

This is not the first of Marilyn’s involvement with charity. She used to hold a dog and horse show every year on her land, which was very popular. There, money was raised for charities such as the Air Ambulance, the Dogs’ Home in Camelford, and more. Unfortunately, the show had to stop due to the expense of the insurance, but Marilyn continues to show her support for many charities.

Always modest, Marilyn said: “It [the walk] went very well, although we had to start in the morning which was quite drizzly. It went nicely, but I think if we had started later, we would have had more people come along to support and donate, and it would have gone better.”

Marilyn expressed her thanks to her family, friends and people of Bude for their supporting, adding: “And a big thank you to Nik Stanbury, Liz, Harvey and Charlotte Cooke for their help walking on Sunday, August 28.”