SUNDAY 26th OCTOBER at LAURISTON CASTLE GARDENS
People across Edinburgh and the east are being encouraged to sign up for a fundraising walk that pays tribute to people with dementia.
Alzheimer Scotland’s Memory Walk 2025 takes place on Sunday, 26 October and will raise vital funds to support dementia care, research and improvements in brain health.
Communities across the area are being invited to join the event in Lauriston Castle Gardens on Cramond Road South, where they can walk in memory of loved ones affected by the illness.
The Edinburgh event is the last of four memory walks taking place across Scotland throughout 2025.
Those looking to take part can sign up at memorywalk.alzscot.org.
Events have also taken place in Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow. Tickets cost just £10 for adults and children can be registered for free. It’s quick and easy to set up a sponsorship page, which can be shared with family, friends and colleagues.
Every penny raised will help people with dementia and their carers, as well as supporting better brain health for everyone in Scotland.
Scotland’s Memory Walk is also about celebrating the lives of people with dementia and walking to remember them.
Among those taking part is Karen Witherspoon from Cleikiminfield, Edinburgh. She will be walking in memory of her mum Margaret Walker who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and passed away in 2024 aged 82.
Karen, 61, a university administration manager, will be joined on the walk by husband John, daughters Lauren, 37, and Amy, 32, and son-in-law Patrick.
She said: “My mum Margaret was such a loving person who was devoted to her family. She was always there for me and my sister Nicola, and when I had my daughters she spent almost every day with them.
“She loved bingo, reading and music, and kept fit by going for walks with my dad William and her best pal Pat.
“She was the best mum.
“We started noticing signs that things weren’t quite right and then in 2021 she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It seemed to progress fast, but we did our best to make the most of the time we had with her.
“Alzheimer Scotland have been a great source of advice and support for us, and before mum passed she joined us on our first memory walk to raise money for them – walking around Arthur’s Seat.
“It felt good to be able to give back and this year we’ll be taking part in the memory walk again. Whatever we raise, I hope it helps support the work Alzheimer Scotland are doing so that other families like ours can get the help and support they need.
“It’s a shame mum isn’t here to join in, but we’ll be doing it in her memory. I hope she’s looking down and is proud of us.”
Lauren Heap, Centre Manager for Alzheimer Scotland’s Edinburgh and West Lothian’s Brain Health and Dementia Resource Centre, said: “Alzheimer Scotland is proud to support people living with dementia and their families and carers, from our centres here in Edinburgh.
“We are delighted to host this Memory Walk in Edinburgh. It is such a special event and it will be wonderful to walk alongside our supporters again in the local community.
“Scotland’s Memory Walk has always had a wonderful ability to bring people together. Every pound raised helps Alzheimer Scotland continue to develop and deliver vital dementia support. We can’t wait to see Lauriston Castle Gardens filled with a sea of purple t-shirts.”
To find out more and to sign up for Scotland’s Memory Walk, visit:
