A dedicated quartet of climbers tackled a near 6000m climb to the peak of Kilamanjaro in a bid to raise vital funds for us.⁣ ⁣ Simon, Martin, Nathan and Matthew, along with their friend Chris, took on the challenge after they all saw loved ones get diagnosed with dementia.⁣ ⁣ Simon and Martin said: ‘Our father developed dementia as part of his Parkinson’s symptoms. We witnessed first-hand how this debilitating condition gradually stripped him of his rationality, characteristics and personality.⁣ ⁣ 'The man we knew was reduced to a shadow of his former self which was extremely distressing for us and our family to watch.'⁣ ⁣ Nathan added: ‘Both my grandmothers are currently living with it. One of them really badly; she doesn’t even know some of her own children. It’s like talking to a complete stranger.’⁣ ⁣ Matthew said: ‘I lived with my granny who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It was a horrible experience seeing this disease slowly destroy such a lovely wee woman.’⁣ ⁣ The quartet completed the climb at the beginning of September and have raised an more than £18,000. Huge thanks to this week’s #FridayFundraisers.