A MAN from a village near Winchester has raised over £1,000 honour his wife, who lives with dementia.

Rob Young, from Swanmore, raised money for the Alzheimer’s Society with a music gig by his band as his wife, Wen, has dementia.

Drummer Rob, 78, hosted the gig at the Swanmore Village Hall on October 8 with his seven-piece group, Contraband.

The gig was well attended with 120 people there to support the event.

As well as this, Rob took part in an Alzheimer’s Society memory walk to raise further funds.

The total funds raised from the gig and the walk were £1,600.

Before the gig, Rob said: “In order to raise extra funds for the charity, I asked my bandmates, who range in age from 19 to 78 if they’d be happy to take part in a gig.

“Thankfully they said yes and so we’re now rehearsing for our gig where we’ll play covers from the 60s up until today.

“We’re hoping to have a jiving competition and a music quiz and there’ll definitely be a bar, so it should be a great evening and all for a good cause.”

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, with someone developing it every three minutes. In Hampshire, more than 22,380 people with dementia, a number that is predicted to rise over the coming years.

Rob said: “Wen and I met at school and married in 1966. It was only this time last year that Wen was diagnosed with dementia.

“She copes very well at the moment but things have definitely changed. Wen used to do a lot of the cooking, but that has become more difficult for her now. She can become confused and will spend ages looking for things in the house or will forget who I am or where the bathroom is.”

Rob’s commitment to support the charity comes at a critical time for those affected by dementia.

The charity’s services have been used over six million times since March 2020 and have been a lifeline to thousands.

Marion Child, Alzheimer’s Society’s Head of Services, said: “We’re so grateful to people like Rob who go above and beyond to raise money for us by not only taking part in Memory Walk but also organising their own event in aid of Alzheimer’s Society.

“The last year has been tough for everyone, but for the 22,380 people estimated to be living with dementia in Hampshire, the impact of coronavirus has been catastrophic and every step our fundraisers take will make a huge difference.”