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Jen’s story: “I walked in Nanna’s memory and loved it!"

Jen, who works at tails.com, explains why she took on the October Dog Walking Challenge for Dementia UK.

I did this challenge for my lovely nanna, who passed away with dementia in the middle of the pandemic. She’d been in a care home for a year before lockdown hit, and sadly she passed away during one of the periods of tighter restrictions which meant we were unable to say our goodbyes properly as a family.

Jen (on the left) and her Nan (on the right)

I walked in Nanna’s memory and loved it! I didn’t realise before taking on this challenge how far I walked, so this was a great opportunity for me to set myself a new target and push myself even further – I actually covered 200km. 

A highlight for me was going on an overnight stay, just me and my dog, Alfie. It was a great chance to take myself out of my comfort zone and tally up some kilometres in an area of the country we hadn’t explored before. 

Alfie, Jen's cocker spaniel in the woods

At tails.com HQ we were all encouraged to put on our walking boots and come together to raise money for a fantastic cause. We were even given a personal day to book off and go and walk some extra kilometres. 

I know Nanna would have been really proud of me – although she probably would have told me I needed a good rest after walking over 200km and raising over £270!