HUNDREDS of people put on their trainers and participated in a charity walk to raise thousands of pounds for people living with dementia.

The Newport Walk for Dementia, which takes participants around the city of Newport, attracted more than 350 people who managed to raise more than £6,000.

Cllr Paul Cockeram hailed the walk as a success, saying: “What a great day for our first dementia memory walk with special thanks to Colin Faulkner of Newport County who initiated the walk. I believe over 300 people including the mascot attended and walked through the city. I would just like to thank all concerned in helping to organise the walk and those who took part in what was a memorable day.”

MORE NEWS:

The regional fundraising manager for Alzheimer’s Society Cymru, Paul Langston, said: “We are truly overwhelmed by the incredible success of this year’s Newport Walk for Dementia. As a result of the hard work and commitment of all involved, over £6,000 has been received to invest in continuing to support people living with the disease in Wales.

"Every three minutes someone will hear those dreaded words - you have dementia. This does not just happen to the person living with it but also their career, family, friends and community."

And Steve Ward, the chief executive at Newport Live, added: “We are so pleased with our partnership with Newport County AFC and the success of the very first Walk for Dementia in the city. We are already planning a bigger and better walk for next year to help raise even more funds for this important cause."

Raised money will also be denoted to local services which support people with dementia.

The recent event comes as Newport City Council confirmed that city centre voluntary organisations, including those supporting the elderly and Alzheimer's sufferers, are at risk of losing funding.

Shopmobility, the Alzheimers Society, the Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB) and Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations (GAVO) will continue to be funded by Newport City Council until the end of the 2019/20 financial year.

But after March 2020, only those who are successful in a 'tendering process' will be funded up to 2021/22 - meaning that they will have to bid for future funding - with money doled out on a needs basis.

Last year, the council gave £286,000 in grants to city centre voluntary organisations, and it's understood the council will now be supporting them to come up with a business model by March next year, as well as helping them to find other areas of funding.