Ireland end-to-end walk in aid of Dementia

May 28, 2024| News + Events, Previous Issue

Mark Saunders, Burpham resident, will take on a new challenge: walking the entire 589-mile length of Ireland to support two dementia charities.

Mark Saunders, a 67-year-old retired university professor, has lived in Burpham for 30 years. In the summer of 2022, he walked 1126 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats using national trails, paths, and quiet minor roads. This trek took 85 days and included 79,400 ft of ascent.

In 2023, driven by his passion for adventure and long-distance trekking, Mark undertook a 480-mile trek across Sri Lanka in 35 days. This effort raised funds for sterilization and vaccination clinics for street dogs, aiming to reduce the number of suffering homeless dogs in the region.

In June and July 2024, Mark will take on a new challenge: walking the entire 589-mile length of Ireland to support two dementia charities, the Alzheimer’s Society (covering England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. Dementia is a chronic brain disorder that affects countless lives, robbing individuals of their memories and decision-making abilities. An estimated 1 in 3 people in the UK and Ireland will be diagnosed with dementia in their lifetime, yet there is still no cure.

Mark at the end of his Lands End to John O’Groats walk in 2022.

Route map for Mark’s Ireland end-to-end walk. The purple line denotes the route which runs from Dursey Island (A) to Ballycastle (B).

The Alzheimer’s Society and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland provide essential support to those living with dementia and work towards groundbreaking treatments. Mark’s end-to-end trek of Ireland will take about 40 days, encompassing stunning landscapes and 41,600 ft of hill climbs, from Dursey Island in southwest County Cork to Ballycastle on the north coast of County Antrim.

If you can contribute to Mark’s cause, your donation will go directly to these dementia charities, helping to ensure that no one faces dementia alone.