Positive Spin - cycling for people with dementia

My name is Clare and I am fundraising for Positive Spin (For Brian CIC), a cycling community of people with dementia, their families, and friends.

Positive Spin was launched on the 11th September in Hammersmith & Fulham, with patron Peter Berry and friends on their penny farthings. Peter has Alzheimer's Disease and is the author of Slow Puncture (https://www.waterstones.com/book/slow-puncture/peter-berry/deb-bunt/9781913208936). If you haven't read it, it is in my view one of the best insights into what it is to live with dementia. If you haven't yet donated please do. You will be helping people confined to wheelchairs with severe movement disorders able to move around independently on a cycle, people who are anxious find comfort and respite from their distress, people with very disabling visual perceptual disorders ride a bicycle around the park.

The whole family can join in and in the words of Peter's wife: "It was a fabulous day, where I could forget about dementia, have fun, and make memories". Peter's co-author Deb Bunt: "It was a great day for all. I was particularly moved by the networking that went on prior to the event. This resulted in Peter being loaned a penny farthing AND being joined by two other penny farthingists. The joyful expressions on the faces of all involved, plus the support of the local community, elevated the ride into an event that encapsulated the ethos and principles of For Brian wonderfully".

Families and friends of all ages can share the joy, share responsibility for care, and benefit in their own right. Magic really happens when a cycle is involved.

Why is cycling so important? Neuroplasticity, the brain's capacity to develop, is now known to take place throughout life even in the context of brain injury and/or brain disease. Cycling ticks many boxes to promote brain health, not least the importance of having fun in the moment.

Improved mobility; the opportunity to meet other people, reducing loneliness; to be outside and explore different places; reduction in dependence on others; improved health and wellbeing; stress reduction. It is a fully inclusive activity where anyone can take part, whatever their ability or access to a cycle, reducing inequalities.

Your donations will be used to enable cycling opportunities in different places in the UK, building the event around an individual family or group, and supporting others in the for Brian community to join in. In the future, day trips and short respite breaks are envisaged, with subsidised travel and accommodation. The combined expertise of Bikeworks and For Brian has made the vision of a UK wide cycling club for people with dementia a reality. There are plans for events in Beckenham Place Park and the Green Trail; an event in Suffolk and the Wirral Way, Liverpool, where we will be welcomed by our patrons; and a return to Bikeworks HQ in the Olympic Park.

Do visit For Brian's website for more information about the organisation and cycling for people with dementia, their families and friends: For Brian CIC

If you, or anyone you know would like to join an event, do get in touch via the website.

Patron Peter Berry , author of Slow Puncture, Living Well with Dementia, piloting Wendy Mitchell, author of Someone I Used to Know, What I Wish People Knew about Dementia, and her newest book One Last Thing: How to Live with the End in Mind

Patron Teresa Davies, dementia activist extraordinaire, who led the way to cycle through the fountains in the Olympic Park

Patron Dione Simpson with her sister Patsy. Dione has dementia with Lewy Bodies, pictured here at the local all ability hub in North Kensington.