THE family of an Ebbw Vale great-grandmother who died in April are taking on a terrifying challenge to say thank you to those which made her final days as comfortable as possible.

Maureen Hague suffered from dementia, and died on April 8, aged 85.

And now granddaughter Bethan Went, her mum Ann Fitzpatrick and cousin Lucy Skelly are taking on a wing walk to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society in Mrs Hague's memory.

“My nan was really independent,” said Mrs Went. “She was living on her own for a few years, but then she went on downhill very quickly.

“After some time in hospital, she went into a care home, Greenhill Manor. She changed completely, they were fabulous.

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“They really made her life as happy as it could be.

“It’s about having that one-on-one time and knowing how to deal with her and people with dementia. It’s that extra care and understanding.

“They made dementia friendly training available for family and friends.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mrs Went and her family were not able to say a proper goodbye to Mrs Hague.

“We weren’t able to be with her physically, but we went and said our goodbyes through the window,” she said.

“It was so difficult to say goodbye to mam without being able to hold her hand and give her a cwtch,” said Ann Fitzpartick, Mrs Hague’s daughter.

South Wales Argus:

Maureen Hague. Picture: Bethan Went.

Mrs Went said family and religion were big parts of her nan’s life, as well as cooking.

“She used to take her grandchildren on holidays, our favourites were Blackpool and Butlins,” she said.

“Every boxing day the whole family would get together at my nan’s house, we would take it in turns to pull a present from a black bag and hand it out.

“She would babysit my brother and I every weekend. We would go to church, go back to her house and play card games and win sweets.

“She was a foster mam and always had children in the house.

“Every week she would make Sunday dinner for the whole family.”

South Wales Argus:

Ann Fitzpatrick, Lucy Skelly and Bethan Went are doing a wing walk to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society in memory of Maureen Hague. Picture: Bethan Went.

On the wing walk, which the trio will be taking on in Gloucestershire on October 8, Mrs Went said: “The reason we are doing this is because we saw the difference of going from a generic hospital to a dementia friendly home. She was left in the best possible hands.

“We are adrenaline junkies and it’s something we have wanted to do for some time.

“If we manage to raise £1,000 my mother will take on the challenge and do the loop-the-loop on the same day.”

You can find out more, or donate, at justgiving.com/fundraising/wingwalkformaureenhague.