� | BRACE www.alzheimers-brace.org

On the University’s Charter Day in May, BRACE was thanked for the millions of pounds it has raised and used to fund research under the direction of the University of Bristol.

Leading researcher Dr Patrick Kehoe gave a vote of thanks, after which the University’s Chancellor, the Right Honourable the Baroness Hale of Richmond, invited BRACE Chairman Canon John Rogan and

Chief Executive Mark Poarch to sign the Roll of Benefactors. She then presented BRACE with a certificate to mark the charity’s contribution over many years.

The University has honoured not just the charity itself, but the thousands of people who have supported BRACE’s fundraising in myriad ways since 1987. We are proud to receive this recognition on their behalf.

University honours BRACEBaroness Hale completes the presentation by handing the certificate to Mark Poarch (right). Also depicted are Dr Pat Kehoe (centre left) and Canon John Rogan.

The University of Bristol

has recognised BRACE’s

contribution to the

funding of dementia

research over nearly a

quarter of a century.

Remember BRACE

A very positive contribution to BRACE’s work, page 10

Alzheimer’s answersFrom Professor Seth Love . See page 12

Robert GravesA moving account by his nephew Richard on page 6

Supporters on cameraStudents put BRACE video on YouTube. Read more on page 14

newsletterAutumn 20�0 www.alzheimers-brace.org

Memories of Bristol calendar, see page 4

researchers and medics. “The move will give BRACE a new lease of life,” says Mark Poarch.

BRACE has started sales of books in its reception every Friday afternoon from 12 to 3pm and is also selling Christmas cards and calendars.

Dr Katy Chalmers helps Dr Judy Haworth test the equipment in the new treatment room

2 | BRACE www.alzheimers-brace.org call the BRACE appeal office on 0117 340 4831 Autumn 20�0 | �

Programme of Events 20�0

SEPTEMBER SAT 18 BRACE Appeal Office and

BRACE Centre Open Day (10.00am to 2.00pm)

OCTOBER SAT 2 Autumn Fair Newman Hall,

Westbury on Trym (10.00am to 12.30pm)

FRI 15 & SAT 16 Collection at Morrisons,

Fishponds

FRI 15 Quiz Night, Newman Hall, Westbury on Trym (7.15pm for 7.30pm start)

THU 21 Collection at Tesco, Golden Hill

SUN 30 Linda Alvis’s Christmas Bazaar, at 94 Worrall Road, Clifton (10.00am to 4.30pm)

NOVEMBER SAT 6 Collection at Mall Galleries,

Broadmead

DECEMBER SUN 5 BRACE Carol Service St Mary

Redcliffe Church, Bristol (3.00pm)

MAY 2011 MON 16 BRACE Annual Meeting

(7.30pm)

TUE 24 BRACE Golf Day

The BRACE Centre and the BRACE Appeal Office are now in the same building, which is good news for many reasons.

The Office is at the end facing the main road through the site, and we hope that this will help make BRACE more visible to the general public. The BRACE Centre is at the rear, where carers can drop off patients safely.

Most of the building will be part of the BRACE Centre, where NHS care and research by the University of Bristol work hand in glove.

“This is a much happier location for our work,” says Dr Judy Haworth, who runs the BRACE Centre. “Patients and carers can find us more easily and we are close to the charity staff and the researchers in the John James Laboratories.”

The Appeal Office staff are equally enthusiastic about being able to work more closely with the

Our new homeBRACE has finally moved! We can now be found in a converted World War II building next to the restaurant at Frenchay Hospital.

For further information about any of the above events please contact the BRACE Appeal Office

Mark, Lesley and Lynda outside the new office

Dear Friends,

Since the last issue of the Newsletter, the BRACE Office and BRACE Centre have moved

to Frenchay Hospital, as reported more fully elsewhere in this issue.

This creates exciting new possibilities for BRACE. For many years, we have been tucked

away on a hospital site from which the NHS was steadily withdrawing. As a result,

BRACE has been far less visible than it might have been.

With the new opportunities presented by the new location, we are looking at ways to

catch the attention of passers by and make more people aware of BRACE. With other

initiatives that you will hear more about as they develop, BRACE should gradually

become better known and attract new supporters. We have every reason to be positive

about our future.

With positive thoughts about the future, however, comes sadness connected with

BRACE’s past. As most readers already know, David Pockney, one of our founder

Trustees, died on 1st June. We included a tribute to David written by Professor Gordon

Wilcock in our July Update, and this is still available on our website. David made a

huge contribution to BRACE in its formative years, and he will be missed by everyone

who knew him.

John Rogan, Chairman of Trustees

Our competitions continue to be very popular and our thanks to everyone who has taken part. All the proceeds from the competitions go to support dementia research funded by BRACE.

Our latest competition offering asks you to work out the names of ‘Places in the UK’. The closing date for your entries is Friday 29th October 2010.

Well done to the winners of the “Body Parts” competition in the January Update, Mr & Mrs S Day from Westbury on Trym, who won a £20 gift voucher.

The Spring Newsletter winner of the Body Parts Competition was Joan Phelps from Downend who won a £20 gift voucher and the winner of the Flowers competition was Mrs. C Powell from Fishponds, Bristol. Mrs Powell won a £30 bouquet donated by The Florist Ltd, Broad Quay, Bristol.

Congratulations to all our winners and good luck with our latest competition.

20�0 Competition Winners

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Cllr Shirley Holloway with Mark Poarch of BRACE and Andy Richardson of the

Alzheimer’s Society outside Kingswood Civic Centre

News in brief...

Fiona Bolt and Stuart Smith were two of the several volunteers who helped with the BRACE collection and information stand at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway in July

The BRACE sales table and its new banners have had their first outings of 2010, at Mangotsfield Festival in June and Page Park (Staple Hill) Centenary and Frenchay Flower Show in July.

Thank you to all the volunteers who turned out to help.

As well as our aim of raising the profile of the charity almost £800 was raised from the 3 events.

In addition, the BRACE sales table was present at the Backwell ‘Pick and Mix’ on 17th July. This raised over £200, and the event organisers kindly donated 50% of the day’s proceeds to BRACE, bringing our total to £1,157.

Our thanks to everyone involved in this event.

BRACE would like to thank South Gloucestershire Council for raising well over £2,000 for the charity in the past year. When Cllr Shirley Holloway was made Chair of Council in May 2009, she selected BRACE and the Alzheimer’s Society to be jointly her “Chair’s Charity”.

Lynda Checkley at the BRACE stand at the Best of Bristol Business Exhibition, Ashton Gate Stadium

In the twelve months of Cllr Holloway’s term of office, the Council raised £4,500 to be divided between the two charities. Fundraising initiatives included an auction among Council staff, a golf day and a quiz.

BRACE would like to thank Shirley and the many officers and councillors who helped with great enthusiasm to raise funds for research into dementia. As well as raising funds, they have helped to make people in South Gloucestershire more aware of the work we are doing. We hope that other people in South Gloucestershire will follow Shirley’s lead and join with us in the fight against dementia.

Chair’s choice boosts BRACE

Summer Fairs

This unique calendar is now available for sale from the BRACE Appeal Office, on our website and at all events we are attending with our sales table between now and Christmas. You can also order it with your Christmas card order on the enclosed form.

Please note that this year we have changed the format of the calendar to show the photographs to the best advantage. Whilst it is a larger size we have been able to maintain the price at £5 as tear-off postcards are not included.

Calendars are now available for sale at Melanie’s Kitchen, Downend, St Mary Redcliffe Church Shop and Broadwalk News, Knowle and the BRACE Appeal office, Frenchay Hospital.

Memories of Bristol

All the photographs were taken by Geoff Packer who was a keen and gifted amateur photographer. Being one of the younger photographers in Bristol during the 1950s, his interest lay in capturing aspects of Bristol in colour while most of his contemporaries were still using black and white film. His hobby was a labour of love and he hoped to publish a book of memories of Bristol one day.

Sadly, Geoff died in 1991 at the age of 67, long before the cost of colour printing became viable for such books of local interest. Luckily, his family had taken great care with the photographs and over the last few years his daughters, Jan and Shirley, have been able to review and catalogue them and have had huge pleasure recalling with their Mum, Doreen, the places and events that he captured.

The Packer family have been supporters of BRACE over the last few years and were more than happy to allow us to use some of Geoff’s photographs for the 2011 calendar for which we are very grateful.

BACKWELL CARD SALE, Parish Hall, Backwell Saturday 23 October, 10am to 12noon

CHRISTMAS BAzAAR @ LINDA’S 94 Worrall Road, Clifton 30th October 10am-4pm

ST PETER’S HENLEAzE CARD SALE, St Peters Church Henleaze 30th October 10am-2pm

From 1st November at HAIGH AND SONS, Estate Agents, North View, Westbury Park, Bristol (open Monday- Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am- 5pm).

MALL GALLERIES, Broadmead 6th November 9am-6pm

PORTISHEAD CARD SALE Somerset Hall, High Street, Portishead 6 November, 10am to 12noon

CLOTHES SALES AND SHOPPING EVENING, Portbury Village Hall 18th November 7pm – 10pm

CAROL SERVICE, ST MARY REDCLIFFE CHURCH 5th December 3pm – 4.30pm approx.

For more information about the above events please contact the BRACE Appeal Office on 0117 340 4831.

In addition to the Autumn Fair and Quiz Night, the following are confirmed Christmas events at which the calendar and a full selection of our Christmas cards, including Brian Sanders card of Ashton Court, Bristol will be available:

The photos used to make up this year’s calendar are previously unpublished photographs of Bristol from the 1950s to the 1990s. There are some wonderful photographs including images from the Festival of Britain and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

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After last year’s deluge, everyone was delighted with the warm, dry weather.

The winning team, Your Works Ltd, was presented with the Noel Elliott Memorial Rosebowl and £75 which they kindly donated back to BRACE. Once again Noel Elliott’s daughters made the Rosebowl presentation.

Following the tradition in this event each player in the winning team and the 2nd and 3rd placed teams received an item of Bristol Blue

Glass. These prizes were presented by Professor Seth Love, Professor of Neuropathology at Bristol University, who answers common questions about dementia research elsewhere in this issue.

The event raised over £4,500 and we would like to thank all the volunteers and all the players who took part. Special thanks go to Roger and Pat Higgins, without whose hard work this successful annual event could not take place.

We look forward very much to the next Golf Day, which will be on 24th May 2011.

I met him once or twice when I was a child, but the time when I got to know him well was after I had gone to St. John’s College Oxford in 1964, at a time when Robert was the Oxford Professor of Poetry. He was now in his early seventies, and still had a formidable brain. His lectures were immensely popular among the undergraduates, partly because he seemed to have access to ancient wisdom of a kind that was particularly appealing to adolescent minds.

I was fortunate to know him then, because within a decade he was suffering from Alzheimer’s – which plagued him for the last ten years of his life. I visited him for his eightieth birthday on 24 July 1975, and at this time he was still recognisably himself, but his memory was failing.

He could still recall his childhood and early manhood, but all that followed was gradually being erased from his mind, and on the very day of his party he met his adult son William and for the first time had no idea who he was. What followed was shocking. He was a writer, but he could no longer concentrate for long enough to write. His short-term memory became so brief that if he had been doing nothing for more than about five minutes, it seemed to him that he had been doing nothing for ever.

For a time his most recent memories were of the Great War, and once again shells burst around him and bullets whistled overhead. More years were wiped away from his memory. On a visit to London, he tried to reach Wimbledon where with the memory of his eight-year-old self he believed that his mother and father were living and waiting to welcome him into the home from which he had somehow become separated.

It was kinder when Robert’s memory faded almost to nothing. Sometimes briefly as he was waking up in the morning he seemed to be half-aware – and then he was gone again into a lost, closed and very private interior world.

His old friends had mostly deserted him by this time – he was only the shell of the man they had known; and until his death in 1985 it was his immediate family, many of whose lives appeared to be ‘on hold’, who carried a frightful burden of hopelessness and despair.

Fortunately Robert’s books still provided enough income to pay for a small and devoted band of nurses, without whose help that burden would have been intolerable. To me it seemed a mercy not only to Robert Graves but also to everyone close to him when, after ten years of living in this twilight world, he finally passed away.

Robert Graves and Alzheimer’s

The poet and novelist Robert von Ranke Graves (1895-1985) was one of the most brilliant literary men of his generation.

He fought in the trenches during the Great War of 1914-1918, was the friend of other soldier-poets such as Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, and became world-famous as the author of Good-bye to All That, and of best-selling historical novels such as I, Claudius.

He was also my uncle.

Written by Richard Perceval Graves. Richard is Marketing Director of GWS Media Ltd, who created the BRACE website. www.gwsmedia.com

The winning team receive their prizes

Annual Meeting ReportAt the BRACE Annual Meeting this year we had two guest speakers. As a departure from our normal practice of having scientific presentations, we asked Professor Ruud ter Meulen (Professor of Ethics in Medicine at Bristol University) to talk about ethical issues in dementia, and Chris McGrail (a solicitor at Alan Hodge Solicitors in Thornbury) to speak about Lasting Power of Attorney.

Both speakers were well received and their talks prompted much discussion after the meeting. We would like to thank them both for their time and for their stimulating talks.

The other main features of the meeting were a review of the previous year’s developments by the Chairman of Trustees, Canon John Rogan, and an outline of the charity’s financial position by the Honorary Treasurer, Dr Richard Varcoe.

The meeting was also attended by a large number of BRACE-sponsored researchers including, for the first time, scientists from UWE and Cardiff.

At Henbury Golf Club on Tuesday 25th May, one hundred players gathered to take part in this year’s BRACE Annual Golf Day.

�00 golfers for BRACE

His family as Robert Graves hoped to find them again in Wimbledon[L to R] Charles, Clarissa, Rosaleen, Alfred (with Richard’s father John on his lap); Robert and Amy.

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BRACE had a team of runners in the London Marathon in April and between them they have raised well over £7,000. Susan Wensley said “Many of the patients I deal with on a daily basis at work suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. As I work at Frenchay Day Hospital next to the dedicated researchers that look at the causes and treatments, I thought this would provide an ideal opportunity to raise a bit of cash for BRACE.” £1,471 – quite a bit of cash actually Susan!

Kathryn Hurd said “I ran the London Marathon last year and I enjoyed it so much that I thought I’d have another go! Alzheimer’s research is a cause close to my heart as both

Rosie Munro Kerr collected £1,372.20 sponsorship; Ewan Turner raised £366.41; and Joanne Field who ran in memory of her granddad who suffered from dementia before he died in 2008 and raised £708.68.

Participants in other sponsored events include Jack Mitchell who heard about BRACE through his Grandma’s treatment and raised £207 sponsorship by running in the Bath Half Marathon on 7 March. Jack said “Both my grandfather and grandma had forms of dementia. I think it’s such a terrible illness and I wanted to help towards research into it.”

Sarah King bravely took part in the Stratford 2020 Triathlon on 9 May. The triathlon combines swimming 400m, cycling 23km and running 5km in one race and is certainly not something for the faint hearted! However, she completed the course and raised £395 sponsorship. Sarah said “I chose BRACE because I think most of us have been touched, or unfortunately may be touched in the future, by dementia”.

Ashley White, a pupil at Westonbirt School, continued her support of BRACE in memory of her grandfather by raising £430 in the Hogweed Trotters Half Marathon.

Phoebe Hicks, aged 17, ran in the Forest of Dean Half Marathon raising £155. Phoebe said “I decided to choose BRACE because my grandfather is starting to suffer from Alzheimer’s and therefore know what it’s like to have a family member with the disease”.

Kate Moorman raised £350 by taking part in a Skydive and chose to raise money for research into Alzheimer’s disease and dementia through BRACE, “because it is a cause that is close to home as my grandmother suffered from it, so I have seen first hand how hard it can be for everyone involved to live with.”

Thanks to everyone for raising a combined total of over £10,000 so far this year

“ I know first hand what a devastating disease it is”

“ I wanted to help towards research”

“ I was moved to do something to help”

Keep on running … and swimming, and cycling, and skydiving…

The Bristol 10k took place on 9 May when three runners raised well over £650 for BRACE.

Laura Blake, who works as a graduate trainee fundraiser for Bristol University said “As a University, we do some ground breaking research into Alzheimer’s and I was moved to do something to help.” Of the run she said, “All in all it was a great day, lots of support from the wonderful public who really keep you going when you feel like giving up; I may even be tempted to do it all again next year!”

Andrew Casagran told us, “My Grandmother in Chile has had Alzheimer’s for the past 10 years and it’s been very hard on all the family both in Chile and England. She had always been a big robust woman but when she got Alzheimer’s she started to lose lots of weight and also her memories, which was the hardest thing of all. She is always afraid when she wakes in the morning as she doesn’t recognise any of my aunties, uncles or cousins. But she is well looked after by everyone as she is what links us all. I remember when I went to see her with a friend she thought my friend was her grandson and me the friend. This is why I ran the Bristol 10k for BRACE as I know you guys do a fantastic job and will help future Alzheimer’s sufferers by finding a cure.”

Laura Palmer said “I ran for BRACE for a number of reasons: they support the South West Dementia Brain Bank for which I work, they sponsor my part time PhD with the University of Bristol and lastly because my gran suffered with dementia. I know first hand what a devastating disease it is and anything we can do to learn about and treat it is very important.”

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my grandma and great grandma suffered from it. So this year I ran for my grandma!” – and raised £1,134.20 in the process. Others who ran were Ryan Belshaw who has raised £1,114.81 so far; Edward Kreft who works for the Mercure Holland House Hotel in Bristol and raised £1,070 through sponsorship, with an additional £1,300 being raised by an event at the hotel;

“ because I think most of us have been touched … by dementia”

“ because it is a cause that is close to home”“ this year

I ran for my grandma!”

“[I] know what it’s like to have a family member with the disease”

Main photo Ashley White, right Laura Blake, Bottom Susan Wensley. Quotes from various supporters mentioned in the article

�0 | BRACE www.alzheimers-brace.org call the BRACE appeal office on 0117 340 4831 Autumn 20�0 | ��

Earlier this year, BRACE received two donations totalling nearly £23,000 from Bunzl Healthcare, part of Bunzl plc, the international outsourcing and distribution Group.

The research teams that benefited were those at the John James Laboratories at Frenchay and the Dorothy Hodgkin Building in Bristol. Over £15,000 was spent on a single item of equipment for the Frenchay team. This is a “BioAnalyser with the DNA/RNA module”, which is needed for measuring the integrity of the message that genes produce to make proteins.

Dr Pat Kehoe said, “This piece of equipment will help us to maximise the quality of the work we do on genes and corresponding biological pathways that may be

involved in the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. It is very important to our immediate research work but also to our function in hosting the South West Dementia Brain Bank where we can provide high quality samples for dementia research not only in Bristol but also in an international context.”

Neil Macdonald, Bunzl Healthcare Sales Director said, “Alzheimer’s is an illness that has a devastating effect on both the sufferer and their families. The need for research is urgent and we are very pleased to be able to provide funds for equipment that will make an immediate difference to the research projects. We wish the teams at BRACE much success.”

We are very grateful to Bunzl for their generous support for the research teams that we help to fund.

BRACE goes to Cardiff BRACE has awarded a grant for a one year research project to scientists at Cardiff University.

Last year BRACE received over £380,000 in legacies. This was the greater part of our income for 2009 and it will enable the Trustees to fund more research in future.

As an illustration, this is more than six times the grant to Cardiff University featured on page 11. Think how much we could do to increase urgently needed research if we had that sort of income from legacies every year. Unfortunately, it is not every year that we receive such a large amount in this way.

For many people, when they make their wills, being able to support a charity of their choice is one of the best ways to make a positive

contribution after death. If you die without a will, the law will decide how your possessions should be divided, and this could be very different to what you might have wished.

When you have ensured that you have provided properly for your family and friends, will you consider leaving a legacy to BRACE? Your gift will help us support research into dementia and could save people in later generations from the horrors of this disease.

Many people think they are not wealthy enough to leave anything of real value, but any amount is gratefully received and will go towards funding important research projects.

BRACE has its own recently updated Guide to Making and Changing a Will, a copy of which can be obtained free from the BRACE Appeal Office.

Remember a Charity (a campaign run by the Institute of Fundraising) says “74% of the UK population support charities and when asked, 35% of people say they’d happily leave a gift in their will once family and friends had been provided for.

“The problem is only 7% actually do. That’s why, if we all leave some money in our wills for charity as well as our family, we can make a huge difference. In fact, if we can raise this figure to just 11% we would create an additional £1 billion for charities in the UK every year, which would ensure that their work lives on.”

2�,000 reasons to thank Bunzl

Dr Pat Kehoe (Bristol University) explains to Neil McDonald of Bunzl Healthcare (centre) and Mark Poarch of BRACE why the BioAnalyser is an invaluable tool

Remember BRACEDr Emma Kidd and Dr Rhian Thomas are investigating the importance of caveolin proteins in the production of β-Amyloid, a substance that occurs in the brain and is associated with dementia. This research will help to establish whether these proteins are a factor in the development of dementia and could thereby identify new diagnostic markers and treatments.

The research project will start in November.

Although, as we reported in our last issue, BRACE recently started supporting research led by Bristol University in cooperation with Cardiff University, this is the first time we have supported research based solely in Wales.

Dr Emma Kidd (left) and Dr Rhian Thomas (right)

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Do you feel that it is realistic to think of curing Alzheimer’s one day? If so, are we talking years or decades?

I think it realistic to think about slowing or halting the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Over the past 10-15 years we have gained a great deal of information about what goes wrong within nerve cells in Alzheimer’s. Although we still have much to learn, we are at a stage when it is possible to design drugs that prevent many of the abnormalities from developing in experimental models of Alzheimer’s.

It remains a major challenge to produce drugs that are selective for the abnormalities and safe for people to take but I am confident that the next 10-15 years will see the introduction of medicines that do indeed slow or halt Alzheimer’s and that achieve this without unacceptable side effects.

Restoring the damaged brain to health rather than solely arresting the disease presents much more of a challenge. However, even in adulthood the brain has an extraordinary capacity to adapt and compensate when damage occurs, so that some recovery of function is likely once the progression of disease is halted.

What has been the most important development in dementia research in the past few years?

There have been so many recent developments that it is difficult to pick a single ‘winner’.

Some would point to the demonstration of the partial reversibility of Alzheimer’s pathology in patients immunised with amyloid β (the abnormal chemical that accumulates in the brain in Alzheimer’s), although the lack of concomitant clinical improvement in these patients has been disappointing.

Others would highlight the recent discovery of several new Alzheimer genes; investigation of these will undoubtedly lead to new strategies to try to treat the disease.

The recent development that I think most important is the recognition that not all amyloid β that accumulates in the brain is toxic. Some forms of amyloid β seem to be particularly damaging to nerve cell connections, even in relatively low concentrations. However, other forms are present in high concentration in early life and may well be necessary for normal brain development. This has important implications for treatment. It is likely that we shall have to be much more precise about targeting only the toxic forms of amyloid β if we are to halt the disease without unacceptable side effects.

What should people do to try to reduce their risk of dementia?

A lifestyle that is healthy for the heart is also good for the brain. Risk factors for dementia include obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet that is high in saturated fats, and elevated blood pressure.

The one major risk factor we cannot mitigate is age but if we modify our behaviour to avoid preventable risk factors we can keep our brains healthy for longer.

The risk is cumulative over many years so the sooner we modify our behaviour the better!

Many people worry that, if one of their parents had dementia, they will get it too. What would you say to them?

The contribution of the genes we inherit to the development of dementia is complex.

In only a very small proportion of families is dementia caused by a single abnormal gene that is passed down from one generation to the next. Amongst the rest of the population it is likely that normal variations in a large number of genes influence the likelihood that a person will develop dementia.

Because dementia is so common, it is not unusual for it to affect more than one member of a family. In most cases the increase in risk of dementia to children in that family is very small.

If, however, dementia has affected a number of family members over several generations, particularly if the onset of dementia was at an unusually early age (e.g. before the age of 55), it would be reasonable for the family to discuss this with their GP, who may advise consultation with a clinical geneticist.

How significant is the South West Dementia Brain Bank in research?

The SW Dementia Brain Bank is one of the main UK providers of brain tissue for research into dementia and contributes to many large national and international studies in this field.

For example, the SW Dementia Brain Bank contributed to the recent genome-wide association study in Alzheimer’s which lead to the discovery of several new Alzheimer genes – the first to be identified in almost two decades.

In addition, the Dementia Research Group which runs the Brain Bank has been responsible for a series of recent discoveries that have had a major influence on research into Alzheimer’s and other dementias. These include some of the discoveries noted previously (e.g. that some forms of amyloid β are present in high concentration in early life, and that endothelin-1 is likely to be involved in the reduction in blood flow to the brain in Alzheimer’s).

In addition, the Dementia Research Group has been responsible for important new findings concerning the way in which abnormal Alzheimer-associated structures known as neurofibrillary tangles interfere with the response of nerve cells to chemical signals, and for major advances in our understanding of the enzymes that normally break down amyloid β and prevent it from accumulating in the brain.

“ Risk factors for dementia include obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet that is high in saturated fats, and elevated blood pressure.”

“ Because dementia is so common, it is not unusual for it to affect more than one member of a family.”

“I am confident that the next 10-15 years will see the introduction of medicines that do indeed slow or halt Alzheimer’s”Science Overview

Professor Seth Love answers some of your most frequently asked questions about dementia.

Seth Love is Professor of Neuropathology at the University of Bristol and Director of the South West Dementia Brain Bank at Frenchay. He is also Scientific Adviser to the BRACE Trustees.

Dr Shabnam Baig working with one of the highly sophisticated microscopes at the Brain Bank

�� | BRACE www.alzheimers-brace.org call the BRACE appeal office on 0117 340 4831 Autumn 20�0 | ��

Please find enclosed a donation of £__________ to BRACE.

Gift Aid DeclarationIf you are a UK taxpayer and complete the form below, BRACE can recover at least an additional 25p for every pound donated, through the Government’s Gift Aid scheme – at no extra cost to you!

I am a UK taxpayer and want BRACE to treat the following donations as Gift Aid donations: • this donation Yes No• all donations I make from the date of this declaration onwards

(until I notify you otherwise) as Gift Aid donations Yes No• this and all past donations I have made Yes No

I confirm that I am a UK taxpayer, resident in the UK for tax purposes and that I will advise BRACE if this situation should change.

SIGNED

DATE

BRACE Donation Form

FULL NAME

ADDRESS

POST CODE

Thank you for your donation. Please tick this box if you would like to receive a written acknowledgement:

Please return to BRACE Appeal Office, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol BS16 1LE

One of our most profitable fundraising tools is the tin collections at supermarkets and other outlets.

Our most recent collection at the time of writing was at Sainsbury’s Supermarket in Kingswood. This collection raised a total of £876.61. Michele Morden, Charities Coordinator for the branch said “We are so pleased that Sainsbury’s are able to help raise funds for such a worthwhile cause. We look forward to welcoming them back again.” During 2009 we raised nearly £5,000 at collections in and around Bristol – and we are hoping to better that this year. Our thanks to all the places that have allowed us to collect and a big thank you and well done to our wonderful band of collectors.

The following is a list of collections we have for the rest of 2010.

October 15/16th Morrison’s Fishponds

October 21st Tesco Golden Hill

November 6th Mall Galleries Broadmead

We are always looking for more enthusiastic collectors - if you can spare 2 hours of your time and are able to help at any of our future collections please contact the BRACE Appeal Office on 0117 340 4831

Super Supermarkets

Included with this edition of our newsletter is a form for the BRACE 500 club.

The BRACE 500 Club is a registered lottery with a weekly draw.

The winner receives 25% of the receipts with 75% going straight into the pot from which future research will be funded.

It only costs £1 a week. If you win one week, enjoy it. If you don’t you know that your £1 has helped build up our research funds.

For more information ring 0117 340 4831 or email admin@alzheimers-brace.org

Do you know Heather E. Lees? Is so could ask her to contact the BRACE Appeal Office. She has joined the 500 club but we have no contact details for Heather should she win. Thank you

A full list of winning numbers is available from the BRACE Appeal Office (contact details as above)

You need to be in it to win it!

BRACE collectors Mary Morris (left) and Dorothy Bryant were warmly welcomed by staff at Sainsbury’s in Kingswood

In recent months, BRACE has seen a steady stream of contacts from young people who want to help the charity. Many of them have family members with Alzheimer’s, and they are painfully aware of what it means to have the disease.

Students make BRACE video

Some young volunteers have helped with fundraising, usually by engaging in sponsored events. Some are seeking to involve their schools or colleges in raising money or raising awareness among young people.

Two enterprising students at Filton College in South Gloucestershire decided to use their coursework to help BRACE - Jack Maddox and James Reeves were required to produce a video about a subject of their choice and saw an opportunity to help explain dementia and research to others of their age.

Jack Maddox said, “We hadn’t much knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease beforehand but after talking to BRACE we found out what a devastating disease Alzheimer’s is and how vital it is to stop it for future generations. We felt it was important to let younger people know this so there would

be a new generation of funding for Alzheimer’s research that can put an end to Alzheimer’s disease destroying lives and communities.”

They received support from BRACE itself, of course, but also from Bristol University researchers Dr Pat Kehoe and Dr Andrea Tales and SW Dementia Brain Bank Manager Laura Palmer.

The resulting video has been put on YouTube and you can view it by going to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0EoYJ3cQUw

Mark Poarch said, “It is often supposed – wrongly – that young people don’t know about dementia or are not really interested in helping to fight it. So many younger people encounter it in their lives because a grandparent or another close relative has the illness, and they are strongly motivated to help.”

�� | BRACE www.alzheimers-brace.org

Don’t miss the BRACE Autumn FairSATURDAY 2 OCTOBER 10.00am to 12.30pm

Newman Hall, Grange Court Road, Westbury-on-Trym

Refreshments : Cake and Preserves Beauty and Bath : Plants and Shrubs Toys and Games : Books/CDs/Jigsaws BRACE Christmas Cards and Calendar

and lots more …

Put the date in your diary now!

Website refreshedThe BRACE website has been updated and includes some significant improvements.

It is now much easier to shop online at the BRACE shop and also to make donations by credit or debit card.

What a great way to buy your Christmas cards or 2011 calendar this year!

Facebook – follow BRACE on the charity’s Facebook page

Utility Warehouse – BRACE earns commission when people sign up to Utility Warehouse through us. Depending on your circumstances, Utility Warehouse could save you a lot of money on household bills and its ‘cashback’ card – and BRACE will be better off too!

E-cards – if you prefer to send your greetings cards by email, you can do this via our link and help BRACE

eBay – shop at the BRACE eBay shop for a range of easy-to-post items that have been donated to us

Buy.at – do your online shopping at a range of major retailers through the BRACE link and we get commission

We also have links from our home page to a number of ways you can support BRACE online. Some of these will cost you nothing – one of them could even leave you better off! They are:

BRACE has a team of dedicated and experienced volunteer speakers who go out and about to explain the work of the charity and the progress of research.

Recent invitations for BRACE speakers have come from schools, churches, Rotary clubs and the WI.

Speakers do a tremendous job for BRACE, making people aware of what the charity does and explaining why the research is so important.

If you are part of an organisation which would like a speaker to attend one of its meetings, please contact the BRACE Appeal Office.

Professor Seth Love briefs BRACE speakers at the John James Labs about the progress of research

Speaking of BRACE