The Will Clan walking

Lindsey's story

“My grandad Jack was the most wonderful man who had a story, a one-liner or a song for every occasion.

“He was a real character who loved to laugh, loved his show tunes and was one of those people who knew everyone.

“When they were younger, my grandad and gran Barbara lived in a two bedroom house with five children, including my mum Susan who used to tell me stories about all the fun they had growing up.

“It was around 2017 when we noticed things weren’t quite right with grandad and he was eventually diagnosed with dementia. My gran had passed away a good few years back, so grandad was living on his own at that point.

“My mum and my aunties would visit him every day and support him to be as independent as possible for as long as possible. He also loved going to Alzheimer Scotland’s dementia resource centre in Dundee where he’d chat to everyone and take part in different activities. The team there were great and were also a big help to the family too.

“As a family, we all enjoyed going on walks together and it was around 2019 that we got the idea to do fundraising walks for Alzheimer Scotland. It became an annual event and in 2020 grandad was able to join in by walking at his own pace around his local area, supported by my aunties Helen and Megan.

“Grandad passed away in 2021 aged 90, but his legacy lives on through shared memories, family inside jokes and his beautiful great grandchildren. Not to mention his crazy made-up catchphrases. I remember a couple of his favourites were: “lang may yer lum reek wi other folks’ coal” and “getting on like a mill pond on fire”.

“This year, the “Will Clan” are looking forward to our seventh walk together – taking part in Alzheimer Scotland’s Memory Walk in Dundee on June 29th.

“We have other close friends and family members who have also lived with dementia, so we know the huge impact it has on lives. Our team of seven adults and two children will be walking not only to remember, but also to raise money for the fantastic work that Alzheimer Scotland does.

“We’re looking forward to walking alongside all the other families and hope to raise as much awareness and funds as possible for this amazing charity.”

Alzheimer Scotland is holding four Memory Walks across Scotland in 2025, in Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Find out more at memorywalk.alzscot.org