A SALE father who lost his mother and sister to Alzheimer’s is hoping to raise over £5,000 by taking on Pier2Pier.

50-year-old Ian Denham is the brainchild behind the mammoth walk between the country's shortest pier in Wigan and the longest pier in the world, which is situated in his old hometown of Southend.

He will start the walk of around 230 miles at Wigan Pier on May 10 and will end at Southend Pier on May 19 to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society.

Ian has long been a fundraiser for Alzheimer's and has already completed numerous events including the London Marathon in aid of fighting the disease.

He will be walking alongside his friend Stuart. The pair have trained for and entered a number of 10k events and half marathons together but wanted something bigger, something different, something that would take months of planning, weeks of training and days of trekking across the country.

Ian said: “I decided to take on the Pier2Pier walk for Alzheimer’s Society with my friend Stuart because we have both lost loved ones to dementia. We have both been raising money for Alzheimer’s Society for many years and wanted to do something different. It will be a challenge but I am hoping that by raising funds for the charity, vital services and key advice can be provided to support people with dementia, their families and carers.

Stuart said: “When I’m walking I will be thinking about my Grandma and all of the other thousands of people out there who are trying to come to terms with a dementia diagnosis.”

You can support the duo at: pier2pier.net

The trek will take part across Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Awareness Week.

Sue Clarke Operations Manager for Alzheimer’s Society in Greater Manchester said: “It’s wonderful that Ian and Stuart are giving up their time to support Alzheimer’s Society by taking on the Pier2Pier walk. Dementia devastates lives, but dementia won’t win. We need more people like Ian and Stuart to join us now and unite against dementia. It is vital that we continue to do all we can to support people with dementia, their families and carers.”