A BARNSLEY College support worker has taken a deeply personal struggle and turned it into a mission to make a difference by raising awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Amanda McGrath, is Additional Learning Support (ALS) Coordinator for Apprenticeships at the college and her father is living with both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.

Each day her family faces the painful reality of losing him each day. Despite this heartache, she channels her grief into raising awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Society.

This year, she has teamed up with the Students’ Union for World Alzheimer’s Day to sell hand-made crocheted forget-me-not flowers – a symbol of remembrance long associated with dementia.

Through this initiative, she not only raised money but also engaged with students to speak about the disease and how they can help spread awareness.

Amanda said: “The Alzheimer’s Society has been incredibly supportive. They are always there to listen to what is happening to my family and offer advice; I felt I had to do something for them.

“I can’t stop the fact that my dad will need to be in a care home soon or how he won’t know who any of us are, but I can raise funds that will support others, raise awareness and go towards finding a cure.”

And Amanda isn’t stopping there … she’s teaming up with some of the apprenticeship team, to tackle the Leeds half marathon in May 2025 to raise even more funds for the charity.

Amanda added: “I want to raise as much money as I can for everyone affected by this horrible disease, not just the people who have dementia but the people around, people like my mum.

“She is his carer and is losing her husband of nearly 60 years, as well as her best friend. They can’t go on holiday anymore, she can’t leave him alone, and also has to deal with his aggression, caused by his vascular dementia.

“It’s not just the individual with this awful degenerative brain disease it affects, but those around too, who are left being forgotten by their loved one.”