A SON has made a touching tribute to his father who lost his battle with Alzheimer’s earlier this year Darren Witts, from Brighton Hill, decided to battle the elements and take on the task of climbing to Everest Basecamp in memory of his dad Roly Witts.
On Tuesday, 14 November at 8am the 53-year-old reached his destination of 17,598ft and placed a photo of Roly there to honour his father’s memory.
Mr Witts decided to take on the trek to help raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society, a charity which is close to him and his family’s heart as they helped his father, who was diagnosed in around 2013 with the debilitating disease.
Having seen his father’s memory deteriorate, Mr Witts decided last summer that he would make a huge effort to help the Alzheimer’s Society raise funds to help towards their battle to find a cure.
After originally setting himself a fundraising target of £5,000, Mr Witts has already raised more than £6,000 with the total still on the rise.
On a post on his JustGiving page Mr Witts wrote: “This is such a hideous disease affecting so many and their families.
“I want to help the Alzheimer’s Society in their mission to find a cure so that in the future other families won’t have to suffer it.”
Before embarking on the challenge, Mr Witts had been in training since January in preparation for the start of his climb during which time he lost four stones in weight.
Before embarking on the climb on November 4, to get the fundraising rolling Mr Witts held 18 car boot sales to bring in as much money as possible in.
Despite already smashing his target, Mr Witts and his family still want to raise as much money as possible for the charity which supported them through the toughest of times.
The Alzheimer’s Society aims to create a society where those affected by dementia are supported and accepted, able to live in their community without fear or prejudice.
Each year the charity is faced with new challenges which require new ways of working, thinking and problem solving – while retaining the overall goal of the charity to find a cure for Alzhimer’s. For anyone wishing to donate to Mr Witts fundraising campaign in memory of his father, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Darren-WittsTrek1.
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