AN Ulverston man with dementia and his partner powered their way to climb 12 mountains in one day.

Sion Jair, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease four years ago, took to the Lake District fells earlier this month along with Wendy Kolbe, hiking the equivalent of a third of Mount Everest.

The achievement is astounding for 66-year-old Sion as he lives with both dementia and pernicious anemia, a rare condition when the body doesn't make vitamin B12 which is needed to produce red blood cells.

The couple completed the 28-mile mountain marathon in 22-and-a-half hours on July 5, hiking (in order) to the top of Coniston Old Man, Swirl How, Crinkle Crags, Bow Fell, Esk Pike, Scafell Pike, Great Gable, Grisedale Pike, Grasmoor, Robinson and Dale Head.

Reflecting on the challenge, Sion, who lives in Larch Grove, said: "Physically I had no problems whatsoever but the major problem I had was coming down the very steep rocky slopes which I wasn't familiar with on a day-to-day basis.

"It confused me a bit in regards to where I put my feet and I lost a bit of confidence in some areas. That took us longer than going up some of the mountains."

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The pair were raising money for two charities, the Alzheimer's Society and Mountain Rescue England and Wales.

The motivation for the 12-mountain challenge was to prove life doesn't end when a diagnosis of dementia begins.

Sion, a retired engineer, climbs Coniston Old Man almost every day, convinced that the physical test combined with the necessary orienteering skills keeps his dementia symptoms at bay.

He says he couldn't have navigated the rocky terrain without the support of Wendy.

Sion said: "She has been a tower of strength and without her it simply wouldn't have happened."

However, the marathon bid almost didn't happen due to problems outside their control.

After a number of setbacks due to poor weather conditions, the couple came close to calling it off again at the eleventh hour.

The support vehicle broke down the day before the walk, meaning they had to carry all of their own supplies, resulting in packs that were three times heavier than planned.


Wendy and Sion celebrate at the end of their incredible challenge. Sion said: "It was touch and go, but we decided to chance it anyway. We ended up having to modify the route, completing the final four peaks in reverse order.

"However, we still covered all 12 mountains plus the 28 miles well within 24 hours."

The couple's challenge has already raised close to £1,000 and donations are still rolling in.

But for Sion, the main reason behind was to raise awareness.

He said: "Taking on the mountain marathon challenge was a way of proving to myself that it's still possible to continue well into the future despite my illness.

"My advice to anyone in my situation would be to carry on doing the things they are familiar with for as long as possible – and not give up just because they have a diagnosis of dementia."

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Dementia facts

- Dementia is a term that describes a symptoms associated with a decline in memory and thinking skills. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases.

- Symptoms of dementia can include impaired memory, impaired communication, confusion with times and dates, poor ability to focus and pay attention, lack of reasoning and impaired visual perception.

- Research shows that 850,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia.

- In less than 10 years a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to two million people by 2051.

- 225,000 will develop dementia this year, equating to one person every three minutes.

- Dementia costs the UK economy over £26bn every year. This is the equivalent of more than £30,000 per person with dementia.