Twenty-eight members of the local running group The Weekenders will don purple shirts in next week’s May 24 race to raise money and awareness for the charity Action on Alzheimer’s & Dementia (AAD).

The group, which runs the annual Appleby Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby for a different charity every year, has chosen AAD as its 2016 recipient.

“Running for Alzheimer’s is very meaningful for me as my mother suffered with it for many years,” said Liz Craig, a member of The Weekenders. “It’s extremely upsetting to see a loved one go through this, not just for the person living with dementia, but for the caregivers as well. It’s shocking how many people now have this disease.

“The Weekenders who are running for AAD have some connection with the illness, be it a close relative, an in-law or a family friend. Every one of the 13.1 miles on Tuesday will be significant to all of us. I hope we manage to help bring more awareness to the charity and of course any donation will gladly be welcomed.”

The charity was founded by Bermudian Elizabeth Stewart in 2012 to raise public awareness and “desperately needs help to Bermuda’s growing number of dementia patients and their families.”

Ms Stewart recognised the dire need for the island to more effectively tackle issues related to dementia after her own mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 67, and died in 2012.

“We are very grateful to The Weekenders for showing their ‘Purple Power’ and taking up our cause to support AAD this year,” said Ms Stewart, who will also be running for the charity.

“We encourage others to contact us to wear our purple shirts in next Tuesday’s race or to donate to AAD as a show of support for all our runners this year.”

Runners wanting to support AAD can contact the charity at 538-5494 or alzbermuda@yahoo.com for race shirts. Anyone can make an online donation to the charity via its Clarien Bank account: 6000065060.