When Eccleshill-born actor Duncan Preston isn't hard at work on the Emmerdale set, where he's currently involved in a harrowing storyline as grieving grandfather Douglas Potts, he enjoys relaxing on the golf course.

It's a pastime he's planning to use to help to raise funds for the Bradford branch of the Alzheimer's Society, of which he is patron.

Duncan is inviting fellow golfers to join him on the course at the Marriott Hollins Hall Hotel on May 14 for a golf day. Entry fee is £395 a team (or £100 per player), including a round of golf, prizes and a dinner at the hotel in the evening with a comedian and hopefully some members of the Emmerdale cast.

"It promises to be a good day on the course with a bit of fun at the end of it," he said during a break in filming the Yorkshire soap. "I was very pleased to accept when I was invited to be the branch patron.

"Alzheimer's and dementia affect such a lot of people and their families. Yet it seems to be a poor relation when it comes to official funding. The support the Alzheimer's Society, which is a charity, gives to them is very important."

The society works to improve the quality of life of those affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - the estimated 700,000 people stricken by this incurable condition plus their relatives, carers and friends who are often bewildered and distressed by the changes taking place in the personality of a loved one.

It offers invaluable information, support and friendship and campaigns on issues such as drugs availability (it was very vocal over the moves by NICE, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, to restrict the use of treatments such as Aricept which have a proven track record in holding back the progress of Alzheimer's but can't cure it).

For its fundraising, the society needs all the high-profile, celebrity support it can get. The golf day being promoted by Duncan Preston hopefully will give a useful boost to its kitty to meet the growing need.

Another organisation, the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which is at the forefront of efforts to find a cure for dementia, has received a useful injection of cash because of another celebrity's personal tragedy.

Best-selling fantasy writer Terry Pratchett announced in December that at the age of 59 he had early-onset dementia, a rare form of the disease.

He said it was "a shock and a shame" that less money was spent on Alzheimer's research than on fighting cancer. "There's nearly as many of us as there are cancer sufferers, and it looks as if the number of people with the disease will double within a generation," he declared.

He described Alzheimer's as "a nasty disease, surrounded by shadows and small, largely unseen tragedies", and then donated £500,000 to the Alzheimer's Research Trust.

The publicity that followed that gift led to an unprecedented flood of donations to the Trust, which has received more than 1,000 donations from all over the world, many of them from the writer's fans.

The new donations tally up to £34,000, excluding the amount of cash that has been pledged in more instalments in monthly direct debits. One individual has signed up to give £1,000 a month to the charity.

The charity received donations from as far as the US and Peru, as well as closer to home. Alzheimer's knows no national boundaries. It's making inroads into populations across the planet for reasons which no-one yet fully understands. Hopefully research will lead to that understanding, and go on to produce a cure.

A spokesman for the Alzheimer's Research Trust said: "Even £1 a month is fantastic and £12.50 is enough to fund an hour of cutting-edge research into dementia. The amount we have had is a record for such a short period of time. Dementia hasn't really been high enough on the agenda and since Terry Pratchett spoke about it, it has shot up there. A lot of people aren't confident to speak about it. Its been a taboo."

That view is shared by the Alzheimer's Society. It's chief executive, Neil Hunt, said: "Terry Pratchett's brave decision to speak publicly about his diagnosis is shining a welcome light on what it is like to live with dementia. His honesty, candour and courage will do so much to tackle the misunderstanding and stigma that keeps dementia in the shadows.

"As Terry's experience demonstrates dementia isn't only about memory loss; it has a devastating impact on the person's life and the lives of those around them. If we live to over 65, one in three of us will die with dementia, a stark fact that should spur us all to join the fight against this devastating condition. If we are to ultimately defeat dementia it is vital that we invest in better support for people living with dementia and fund more dementia research."

  • For more details about the Golf Day on May 14, or to sign up to take part, please contact the Bradford branch of the Alzheimer's Society on 01274 733880.

Support when it's needed

The Alzheimer's Society has a lot of demands on its finances.

Bradford branch administrator Rachel Exley said: "We usually have around 350 new referrals each year. We also provide ongoing support to people for as long as they need it. So many have been with us for a long time - some since we began 11 years ago.

"We employ five family support workers who visit people in their own homes and provide telephone support to anyone with concerns about dementia.

"A scheme leader and volunteers run our befriending scheme, Time to Listen, for people with dementia who live alone.

"Our Better Safe project gives extra support and education to families to prevent problems that can arise and our course, Coping with Forgetting, is for carers and people with dementia to explore ways of coping."

Rachel added: "Our seven monthly support groups and two wellbeing cafés for people with dementia and carers across the district allow people to meet for friendship and mutual support.

"Social events and outings take place during the year too. Younger people with dementia and their carers have a short break in September, and some former carers have just had their first break together.

"Bradford branch provides all its services free of charge. However, as we grow to meet the increased demand from the local community, our expenditure also continues to rise. The current cost of running the branch is around £200,000," Rachel said.

"The branch receives general support from the national organisation but financially we are responsible for finding all our own funding.

"We receive grants from Bradford & Airedale Teaching PCT, Bradford District Care Trust, Bradford Council Carers Grant and Comic Relief, but that still leaves us with a shortfall on the budget sheet.

"Donations and fundraising have become a lifeline for the branch. Last year these sources brought in nearly £70,000 - money which we couldn't possibly survive without.

"Without individuals and groups who organise fundraising events and make voluntary donations, we simply would not be able to continue to provide for our community.

"The branch also runs fundraising activities which get us out and about in the local area and allow us to meet people affected by dementia who haven't yet sought out our support."

One of the main events is the annual Memory Walk, which attracts scores of people to Lister Park and raises thousands of much-needed pounds to help the branch continue its work.

It's a fun occasion, with music and laughter. But its purpose - like that of the golf day inspired by Duncan Preston, is deadly serious.

l The Bradford branch of the Alzheimer's Society is based at Skipton Chambers, 16-18 North Parade, Bradford BD1 3HT.