� | BRACE www.alzheimers-brace.org

A partnership between BRACE, Bristol University and North Bristol NHS Trust will fund a new dementia treatment clinic and related research. BRACE’s contribution, £571,000 over five years, funds the research element of the project.

The new initiative will enhance Bristol’s reputation as a leading centre of dementia research.

Dr Liz Coulthard, head of the new unit and consultant senior lecturer in dementia neurology, hopes the team will develop improved methods of diagnosis and eventually medications to treat Alzheimer’s.

Liz says, “Work will focus on translating the world class preclinical dementia research in

Bristol into pharmaceutical trials for patient benefit. Over the next 5-10 years, we hope that dementia research will yield a range of effective medications, allowing treatment to be tailored according to the needs of each patient.

“I am delighted to take on the challenge of developing dementia care and research in Bristol. I hope that through high quality research in Bristol, we can transform the outlook for dementia sufferers.”

A new neurology dementia clinic held in the BRACE Centre at Frenchay hospital, where patients with dementia will be accurately diagnosed and treated, will run alongside the programme of clinical dementia research.

Liz’s colleagues include Dr Judy Haworth, already well known to many BRACE supporters because of her work in The BRACE Centre over a number of years, and Dr Margaret Newson, clinical psychologist with expertise in dementia. Liz has also gathered assistant clinical psychologists, researchers and support staff to the Centre.

BRACE Chief Executive Mark Poarch says, “It’s great to see The BRACE Centre really busy again – it’s buzzing! It’s also very good for us as a charity to be sharing a building with some of the researchers we support, because it enables us to keep in touch with developments.”

Liz tells more about this exciting new project on page 10.

A major new research project was launched on 1st June in The BRACE Centre at Frenchay Hospital.

Major new research in The BRACE Centre

Schools’ fundraisingLocal students take up the challenge on page 5

Reduce your riskBenefit from the latest research, see page 7

An anniversary on the horizonFind out what we’re planning for our 25th year on page 11

newsletterAutumn 20�� www.alzheimers-brace.org

Don’t miss the BRACE Autumn Fair

to be officially opened by Ali Vowles of BBC Bristol

SAtuRdAy 8 OCtOBER 10.00am to 12.30pm

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

Many stalls including: Beauty & Bath, Second-hand Books, Bric-a-brac, Cakes & Jams, Collectables, Jewellery,

Plants & Shrubs, Toys & Games

The new range of BRACE Christmas cards and 2012 BRACE calendar will be on sale

Refreshments available

We look forward to seeing you!With thanks to CJ Hole Henleaze for their

sponsorship of the Autumn Fair

SEPTEMBER SUN 11 Bristol Half Marathon SAT 24 Collection at Co-operative Portishead THU 29 Fashion Show and Sale

Greenfield Centre, Winterbourne, Bristol 7.00 for 7.30pm

OCTOBER SAT 8 Autumn Fair,

Newman Hall, Westbury-on-Trym 10.00am to 12.30pm

FRI 21 & SAT 22 Collection at Sainsbury’s Kingswood

NOVEMBER SAT 5 Christmas Bazaar @ Linda’s

94 Worrall Road, Clifton 10.00am to 4.00pm

SAT 19 Christmas Market, Greenfield Centre, Winterbourne, Bristol 2.00 to 5.00pm

DECEMBER SUN 4 BRACE Carol Service,

St Mary Redcliffe Church 3.00pm

MARCH 2012 SAT 24 3MC Three Mens Company

An evening of light entertainment Bradbury Hall, Waterford Road, Henleaze Details will be published in January Update and on the BRACE website

MAY TUE 22 BRACE Golf Day,

Henbury Golf Club THU 24 Big BRACE Anniversary Coffee Morning

St Monica’s Trust, Westbury-on-Trym 10.30am

Details of more anniversary events to follow on our website and in the January Update. Watch out for this emblem!

2 | BRACE www.alzheimers-brace.org

Programme of Events 20��/20�2

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

The former Managing Director of Bristol Water, Alan Parsons, is the new Chairman of BRACE. He joins ten existing trustees and replaces Canon John Rogan, who remains a Trustee.

Alan, who recently stepped down as Managing Director of the utilities firm, says he is honoured to be joining the charity.

He says, “I am delighted to be joining BRACE, a regional charity that has already achieved so much and which has such an important task ahead of it. Dementia is a terrible illness and a major

problem for health services around the world. If BRACE and its many supporters can help medical science defeat dementia, what a wonderful achievement that would be.”

Alan graduated in physics but then trained as an accountant and developed a career in business.

BRACE Chief Executive Mark Poarch says, “Alan is a superb new addition to our Board of Trustees. In his role as chairman, he will be able to help us find new ways to raise money and help win the fight against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. With our strengthened team, we shall continue to develop as an important player in dementia research.”

The Front Room Gallery is an annual arts trail held in Totterdown, Bristol and we are very pleased that this year it will be proudly raising money for BRACE plus the Wallace and Gromit ‘Cots for Tots’ appeal.

Always exciting and full of locally produced art, this year’s trail aims to include more music than ever, plus animation, poetry and short

story writing competitions, a balloon race and ‘guerrilla ducks’. It will also include artwork by the wonderful poet, comedian and Radio 4 favourite, John Hegley.

The art trail takes place between Friday 18th and Sunday 20th November this year. For further details go to www.frontroom.org.uk

Volunteers, artists and great ideas are always welcome!

Welcome to our new Chairman, Alan Parsons

TXT us £!you can now text a donation of up to £10 to BRACE from your mobile phone. Messages are free on all networks and BRACE will receive 100% of the donation.

All you need do is text “ALZH25” and the amount (£10 or less) to 70070. For example, to donate £5 simply text “ALZH25 £5”

ALZH 25 is the unique code for BRACE.

You can also add Gift Aid.

Go on – give it a go!

Although BRACE is a West Country charity, we receive help and support from friends further afield who hear of us through family or find us on the Internet. We are very glad of their support!

On Saturday 25th June, Helen Welton from Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, held a fundraising garden party at her home in aid of BRACE. In the photograph you can see Helen, wearing a BRACE t-shirt, alongside her husband, Richard Marbrow and friend and neighbour Julie, who helped on the day.

Helen said, “Many of the items in the sale came from Richard’s mother, Muriel, as she now lives with her daughter since Alzheimer’s has made it impossible for her to live independently. Muriel has difficulty recognising Richard now but she is still keeping going. My husband’s father Norman Marbrow died from Alzheimer’s in 2001.”

A very big thank you to Helen and her helpers for raising £200 for BRACE.

Friends in the north!

TO:70070

ALZH25 £5

call the BRACE appeal office on 0117 340 4831 Autumn 20�� | �

the Concorde Partnership organised this fundraising ‘challenge’ for Year 12 students from three partner secondary schools – Abbeywood, Bradley Stoke and Patchway. This was part of a wider menu of activities to enable them to gain valuable experience in different fields aimed at broadening their horizons while giving them a competitive edge over other university/job applicants.

23 students from Bradley Stoke Community School and 2 from Abbeywood School chose charity fundraising as their activity.

Day one started with talks by Susan Marshfield (BRACE trustee) about the role of BRACE and Ashley White, who talked about how she and her friends had raised funds for BRACE.

The students were then given BRACE T-shirts and let loose to discuss their ideas!

Two days later we returned to the school to find they had raised £519.83 by holding a number of events including a raffle, car wash, swimathon, name the bear and cake sale.

We are hoping that this collaboration will continue and look forward to working with these schools, the Concorde Partnership and other students in the future.

Our thanks to Susan and Ashley for giving their time to speak to the students and to all the teachers and students involved in fundraising. Well done!

Following an approach from the Concorde Partnership earlier this year 25 students from Bristol spent two days in July fundraising for BRACE.

Schools’ Fundraising

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

dr Myra Conway and BRACE funded Phd researcher Jonathon Hull are based at the University of the West of England (UWE). Their work centres on a substance called glutamate, which occurs in the brain and is necessary for memory and learning. However, if an imbalance occurs, glutamate can become toxic to brain cells.

Myra says, “Levels of glutamate are regulated by a protein called hBCAT. Jonathon’s research has already shown that this protein is far more common in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, and this could be causing dangerously high levels of glutamate.”

This research, funded by BRACE, could help to identify “biomarkers”, the clues that doctors need to identify the disease as early and accurately as possible. To read more about Myra and Jon’s research, please see the Research Update published as an insert of this Newsletter.

Myra comes from Cork city in Ireland and achieved a first class honours degree in Biochemistry and completed her Phd at the university of Galway, Ireland. In 1998, Myra travelled to the US to take a post as a Research Fellow at Wake Forest University Medical Center, North Carolina, where she first started work on the hBCAt proteins.

Following a successful post-doctoral period of 5 years Myra was appointed as Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry at the university of Brighton in 2003. Opportunity knocked and shortly afterwards Myra was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at UWE, where she has been developing her research and continues to lead and lecture in Clinical Biochemistry.

Currently, Myra is director of Studies for 4 Phd students, 1 research technician, 8 undergraduate research students and 1 MSc student. Several of these projects are in joint collaboration with dr Katy Chalmers, Prof Seth Love and dr Pat Kehoe at the South West dementia Brain Bank.

Our research scholar, Jonathon Hull, comes from Essex and completed his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at uWE. Jonathon achieved a first class honours degree and the highest mark recorded for his year group, which was recognised by the Oxford Press prize at graduation.

This project began in June 2010 after BRACE had awarded a grant for Phd research directed by Myra.

How a protein may hold the key to Alzheimer’sResearch that could help medical science defeat Alzheimer’s disease is happening just a mile from the BRACE charity office.

Confirmed events at which all our cards (subject to availability) and the calendar will be available are:

FASHION SHOWGreenfield Centre, Park Avenue, WinterbourneThursday 29 September 7.30pm

BRACE AUTUMN FAIRNewman Hall, Grange Court Road, Westbury-on-TrymSaturday 8 October 10am-12.30pm

St PEtER’S HENLEAZE CARd SALESt Peter’s Church Hall, HenleazeSaturday 15 October 10am to 12noon

BACKWELL CARD SALEParish Hall, BackwellSaturday 22 October 10am to 12noon

From 1st November atHAIGH ANd SONSEstate Agents, North View, Westbury Park, Bristol (open Monday-Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am-5pm)

CHRIStMAS BAZAAR @ LINdA’S94 Worrall Road, CliftonSaturday 5 November 10am to 4pm

PORtISHEAd CARd SALESomerset Hall, High Street, PortisheadSaturday 12 November 10am to 12noon

dOWNENd SCHOOL FAIRDownend SchoolSaturday 19 November 11am to 3pm

CHRISTMAS MARKETGreenfield Centre, Park Avenue, WinterbourneSaturday 19 November 2pm to 5pm

CAROL SERVICESt Mary Redcliffe Church, BristolSunday 4 December 3pm

This year our calendar celebrates the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and, for the first time, includes photographs from outside Bristol.

A number of people have contributed to this calendar and we are grateful to them for allowing us to use their photographs. We hope you enjoy it!

We also have a much larger selection of Christmas cards this year due to increased demand, led as always by Brian Sanders’ card

which this year depicts Bathurst Basin, City Docks, Bristol.

You will be able to buy your cards and calendars at the BRACE Appeal Office (available now) and at Haigh

and Son, Estate Agents, North View, Westbury Park from 1st November (Open Mon-Fri 9am – 6pm and Sat 9am – 5pm).

Please order early. We often sell out of the calendar and the most popular designs of cards.

BRACE cards and calendar will be on sale at many BRACE events leading up to Christmas, see the list to date on the right. Alternatively they will be available for purchase online by visiting our shop page at www.alzheimers-brace.org/BRACE_Shop.htm

If you would like more information about BRACE, our forthcoming events, or would like to volunteer to help with our fundraising, please contact:

the BRACE Appeal Office, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol BS16 1LE

Telephone: 0117 340 4831

Email: admin@alzheimers-brace.org

Website: www.alzheimers-brace.org

Christmas with BRACE

Here are some top tips based on what researchers have been telling us.

Take regular exercise. This is the single best way to cut your risk of dementia, perhaps by as much as 45%. Exercise for half an hour three times a week, or do enough exercise to leave you slightly out of breath. This does not have to be anything extreme – brisk walking is generally beneficial, for example. The more frail a person is, the more the exercise is likely to help them. Even 15 minutes walk, three times a week is enough to produce a positive effect. This is true even in the over 65s.

Watch your weight. Recent research suggests that being obese or even moderately overweight in middle age can increase your risk enormously. A 27-year study of 10,000 people found that obese people in their 40s were 74% more likely to develop dementia compared to those of normal weight.

Don’t smoke. Smoking is quite simply not good for you, and dementia is yet another serious condition made more likely by the habit. Among people smoking 40 or more cigarettes a day, the risk of Alzheimer’s is claimed to be 57% higher.

Alcohol in moderation. A glass of red wine every day can help cut your level of risk, but excessive drinking is not good for your brain. A recent study suggested that heavy drinkers and teetotallers were both more likely than light drinkers to develop cognitive problems.

A good diet. The “Mediterranean diet”, with plenty of olive oil, fruit, fresh vegetables and fish is beneficial. Foods high in folic acid, antioxidants and omega 3 are helpful. Specific foods that have

been suggested as good for the brain include turmeric and

sage. Eating lots of food high in saturated fat, however, is not a good idea. A study of 815 people over the age of 65 years in Chicago suggested that eating fish regularly can significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Keep your brain active.

Keeping socially, physically and mentally active will help

you, even in old age. Having an active social life in old age

is an important part of a defence strategy, but you can also create new links in the brain by mental activity such as learning a new language. A US study has suggested that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is more than doubled in lonely people.

In general, the advice is – if it’s good for your heart, it’s good for your brain. The advice we all hear about keeping our hearts healthy is worth following for the sake of our brains, too.

You can reduce your risk of dementia!Though anyone can develop dementia, you can reduce the risk by the way you live. The earlier in adult life you can start applying the following principles, the greater their impact is likely to be. This is one way in which the fruits of research can help you today.

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

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

Photos from the leftEmma Cook, husband and friends at the top of Snowdon | Sue Martin | Dan and George | Hannah and VickyRunning totals...

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Vicky Ledbury wanted to do something in memory of her father-in-law Joe, who passed away in March last year quite unexpectedly. In the last months of his life he was badly affected by dementia and Vicky said she wanted to raise awareness of the impact that the disease has on family members and to know that the money she raised, which incidentally amounted to £2,121, would be used locally.

Vicky said, “I was very lucky to have the opportunity to run this year’s London Marathon for BRACE. I met Hannah, one of the other BRACE runners, in the long queue for the start line which gave me a real boost as I was feeling quite emotional before the start, thinking a lot about the challenge ahead and the reasons why I was doing it. The first ten miles weren’t too bad but then an old injury really played up which lead to me having to walk most of the second 13 miles! Going over Tower Bridge was an amazing experience as everyone on the Bridge was cheering us on so that gave me a massive boost and it was that memory and the thought

that Joe was watching down, proud of what I was doing, that kept me going to the end. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and one I would go through again to raise more awareness of the work that BRACE does.”

Hannah Clark, who raised £986 sponsorship, said of the day, “I found the London marathon such an amazing experience and one I will never forget ....from all the crowds and supporters cheering everyone on, to the other amazing runners all running for brilliant causes. My legs hurt but just getting that medal at the end made them hurt less! Throughout the day I had my great aunt in mind as she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and was the main reason I wanted to raise money for BRACE, knowing every penny raised really is going to make a difference for others.”

Matthew Hunt ran in memory of his girlfriend’s granddad who died from Alzheimer’s. He raised £703.50 and said “I had an amazing day. One of the highlights for me was getting to 13 miles where the route runs

alongside the 21 mile mark and saw the elite men run past looking fresh as a daisy! It was only a mile or so later that the heat of the day started to get to me. At mile 22 I was really struggling but found some energy from somewhere to carry me through to the end. Crossing the finish line was very emotional; the crowds were terrific all the way round and really made my day!”

“I really enjoyed the marathon” said Sue Martin. “It was hard work and hot, but I did it and I am grateful to BRACE for giving me the place and experience. We all know what an overwhelming condition dementia can be and how it can impact on those that are affected by it, their families and friends. I am proud to have run for BRACE in the London Marathon as I know that the money raised from my generous supporters is being put to good use.” So far Sue has raised £1,070.

Sebastian Hobbs was following in the footsteps of two of his work colleagues who had run for BRACE in previous years. Sebastian raised raised £1,030 in sponsorship.

Max Peters had to withdraw due to a knee injury but his generous supporters still sponsored him to the tune of £1,119.51. Neil Drew was also unable to get to the start line due to an accident a couple of days before the marathon in which he fractured his ankle but had already secured sponsorship of £1,645.00. Both Max and Neil are hoping to be fit to run in the 2012 London Marathon.

Others who have taken part in sponsored events this year include Belinda Morley and her husband who raised £130 when they ran in the Bath Half Marathon in March. Also in March, Emma Cook and her husband Mark, together with friends Rich and Ryan, climbed up Mount Snowdon raising £435.00. Emma said “Sadly my Nan passed away when I was 16 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. I wanted to help to raise some money so hopefully one day there will be a cure and no-one else will have to suffer with this terrible disease. I really do hope my fund-raising will make a difference.”

It was last year that Amanda Nethercott made the decision to get fit. She took up running with a goal of doing a 10k in less than an hour and achieved this in the Bristol 10k in May, and at the same time raising funds for research in Alzheimer’s after her grandmother sadly had to be put in a care home when the family could no longer cope. Her initial aim was to raise £500 in sponsorship but to Amanda’s delight (and ours) the final figure was £1,314.

Also taking part in the Bristol 10k were friends Daniel and George who said of the run “The 10k was amazing; we really enjoyed ourselves and finished in quite a good time too!” Daniel and George raised a very welcome £647 for BRACE.

We are grateful to everyone who has supported us by taking part in a sponsored event, raising much needed funds for BRACE. If you would like to do the same please contact us at the BRACE Appeal Office for a sponsor pack – we will be very pleased to hear from you.

In the 1980s, a small and determined group of volunteers was raising funds as the Friends of Age Research (Bristol), a local branch of a national charity. This group, which was chaired by Mary Sansbury and included Dr Brandon Lush, Senior Geriatrician at Frenchay Hospital, decided that it wanted to devote its efforts to supporting locally based research. The opportunity to do this was provided by the work of Professor Gordon Wilcock at Bristol university. On 24th September 1987 the charity was founded, with Gordon Wilcock, Brandon Lush, david Pockney and John Rogan as its first trustees.

Beating Alzheimer’s was never going to be a short-term task. Enormous progress has been made by medical science in the last quarter of a century and BRACE has played a significant role. However, there remains much to be done and the growing numbers of people with dementia make our task all the more urgent.

There are ways that you can help make 2012 a great year for BRACE and for the fight against dementia.

Next year’s events are still being planned and we cannot give you all the details yet. The information will be published on our website and in the next update (January) and spring Newsletter (April).

However, we can tell you that the big event is likely to be at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol in September. Plans are still being formulated, but we would like to thank the management of the Tobacco Factory for their generosity in offering us the use of the theatre. You can also make a note in your diary for a lively concert on 24th March. See Programme of Events on page 2.

3 ways you can help make 2012 our

best ever year1. Ask us for a standing order form so that you can make a monthly donation. Regular giving helps us plan. If you are already a regular donor, could you increase your donation? If you currently pay income tax, you can also increase the value of your donation through Gift Aid (at no extra cost to yourself).

2. Give us your time! We need people to help with collections, take part in sponsored events, and help at sales and other events.

3. Ask your employer/school/church/club to join our Silver Service and pledge to raise at least £500 for BRACE in 2012. Contact us for details.

Continuing our cover story on this exciting new research, Liz Coulthard explains what the project involves:

Several different streams of clinical research are planned focussing on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Each research study involves asking patients and volunteers for their informed consent to take part. At the heart of the research program is a research register where details of willing patients and healthy volunteers are recorded. Using the register, we can then identify and contact participants suitable for a given study. Patients recruited onto the research register and into studies will come primarily from the new neurology dementia clinic in the BRACE centre.

Patients are referred to the cognitive neurology and dementia clinic by GPs or other hospital consultants who suspect that they might have some form of dementia. The clinicians then carry out tests to establish what their symptoms mean and, if the cause is dementia, try to establish which form of dementia is involved. Patients attending the clinic are asked if they would like to be entered onto the research register. Much of the research is based in The BRACE Centre ensuring that patients can take part in research in a familiar environment and research and clinical care are closely allied.

Planned research projects will look both at the underlying problems experienced by people who have dementia and also how therapy can be targeted to individual patients. Our first studies are investigating how memory can be affected in dementia. There are

several different types of memory including very short term or working memory and longer term memory. We are using computerised cognitive tasks to study the way in which patients retain memory over time and how this could be improved using medication.

Further studies will be based on the preclinical, laboratory-based work of the Dementia Research Group, run by Professor Seth Love and dr Patrick Kehoe. Their work has demonstrated that blood vessels are affected early in the course of Alzheimer’s disease. We plan to study the possible beneficial effects of agents that can protect blood vessels and

are already used safely to treat high blood pressure. In addition there is the opportunity to help with the early stages of stem cell research already underway in Bristol and Bath.

In order to measure the effectiveness of treatments, we are going to perform repeated psychology tests, as well as detailed brain imaging.

Repeated volumetric MR imaging of the brain can tell us how much the brain shrinks over time and we can measure any benefit of the trial drugs on brain volume. We are building strong links with the Clinical Research and Imaging Centre (CRIC) in the University of Bristol and the medical physics departments of North Bristol Trust and University Hospital, Bristol, in order to develop high quality image analysis both for clinical and research work.

Over time we hope to develop a portfolio of studies each designed to improve understanding and treatment of dementia.

Major new research in The BRACE Centre

Building up to our

silver anniversary!BRACE is 25 years old in September 2012, and we want to celebrate our silver anniversary in style! There will be some special events throughout the year and we hope to make 2012 a bumper year for fundraising.

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

“patients can take part in research in a familiar environment”

Everyone has their own way of dealing with death. My work was my salvation – I loved it. One day my boss said he had been visited by the chairman of BRACE, who was looking for some free manpower to organise a business event raising awareness of the charity. Because he knew of my experience he said he was happy for me to take it on if I was willing, using the facilities of the workplace, my PA etc. So I became a BRACE volunteer!

Thanks to the help of some great Bristol companies - Bristol Blue Glass and Aardman Animation to name but two - the event was staged at Merchant Venturers Hall. My biggest fear? Not that it would fail or that nobody would come, but that something might happen to Aardman’s “Creature Comforts” animals which were on loan!

When I retired, I was approached by Richard Lalonde, the then chairman, to join with him and Mary Sansbury, together with Professor Wilcock and the much overworked part time secretary,

Pat Whitby Strevens, to “help out” with BRACE. I have been “helping out” with BRACE ever since! It has its rewards; the satisfaction of seeing the amount of research the charity is now able to fund, the wider knowledge of the disease nationally, as well as our part in promoting knowledge locally. PLuS our input into the Memory Disorder Clinic, the Brain Bank and the laboratories, for which we have to thank the John James Trust, another great Bristol institution. A far cry from the old terrapin.

I was rewarded with a seat on the Board as a trustee – the first female, I might add. I am also rewarded by being recognised by lots of people who now know me and quite often expect me to shake a tin or sell them something from BRACE. My sons expect me to frequently be “doing something” for BRACE and even my grandsons now play on the Golf Day.

When asked if you will volunteer, give it serious thought and, if you can – do it!

The annual Golf Day has become a major fixture in the BRACE calendar. This was the tenth time the event has been held, and in total has raised over £50,000.

We are very grateful to Roger and Pat Higgins and all the other volunteers who work with them to make the Golf Day possible.

Because of all the work that Roger has done over the years, it seemed fitting that he and the other “BRACE Boys” were the winners this year!

The prizes were presented by Olympic medallist Kate Allenby, who won bronze in the modern pentathlon in Sydney in 2000. Kate also gave an amusing and inspiring speech.

Another highlight, on a day when a strong wind made driving difficult, was a hole in one achieved by James Hodder of the Rolls Royce team.

A poignant moment came during the presentation to the winning team. One of the team members, Ivor Williams, dedicated the win to the memory of Dr David Dawbarn, a greatly respected research scientist at Bristol University who died suddenly in 2010. Ivor had taught David at Bath University.

We look forward to the next Golf Day on 22 May 2012 and invite early expressions of interest in taking part.

Photos from top:

James Hodder and the Rolls Royce team after James’ hole in one

Kate Allenby presents the winners’ trophies to The BRACE Boys (l-r, David Macbean, Ivor Williams, Steve Lucas, Kate Allenby and Roger Higgins)

Volunteers at work on the scoreboard & Kate Allenby with new BRACE Chairman Alan Parsons

General view of the course

I feel as though I have known about BRACE forever – but it is really only about 20 years. My first knowledge came when I was visiting an aged terrapin building at Blackberry Hill Hospital for my husband’s tests and follow up after he had been diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease. He died in 1993.

BRACE Golf Day 20��

A volunteer’s storyby Susan Marshfield

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

Competition WinnersOur latest winners are Mrs A Holden from Westbury-on-Trym who won the Stationery competition in our Spring newsletter. The winner of the Gemstones competition will be announced in our next newsletter.

Our latest competition is enclosed. Good luck!

Portishead Flower Show & Country FairCarole Jenkins and Betty Harris on the BRACE stall which, as well as raising £347.85, won second prize for the best non-trade exhibit.

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

In April 2011 George Osborne announced in the Budget Speech that the Government will introduce for deaths occurring from 6th April 2012 a reduced rate of Inheritance tax of 36% where a person leaves 10% or more of their net assets to a charity or charities.

George Osborne stated “do the right thing for Charity and the Government will do the right thing by you”.

Currently any gifts to Charity in your Will do not incur Inheritance tax.

If a person’s estate is liable to Inheritance tax then after deducting exemptions and reliefs any excess sum (the net estate) is taxable at 40%.

So where your estate is subject to Inheritance tax every £100 left to Charity will reduce the amount remaining for the beneficiaries but will also reduce the Inheritance tax on the estate by £40. Currently the effective cost of the legacy to Charity to the remaining beneficiaries is £60 per £100 gifted.

From April 2012 if 10% of your net estate is given to Charity, the effective cost of the charitable legacy to the remaining beneficiaries of your Will is only £24 per £100 gifted if you have a taxable estate.

This is good news for Charities. It is designed to encourage us to remember our favourite causes in our Wills. The reduction in the Inheritance tax rate means that a large charitable gift will have a much smaller impact on your beneficiaries where the estate is liable to Inheritance tax.

George Osborne and the Government very much want it to become the norm that we leave 10% of our wealth on death to Charity. This is part of the vision for the Big Society.

The precise details of the changes to the tax rate are currently being thrashed out. The Treasury are putting together a consultation paper. The consultation closes on 31st August this year.

A charitable gift post April 2012 reduces what your beneficiaries receive but by significantly less than under the current Inheritance tax regime.

These measures are to be welcomed as it will encourage charitable gifting. It is vital if you are thinking of leaving a gift to Charity in your Will that you take professional advice from a specialist Solicitor.

Jenny Pierce, Wards Solicitors July 2011

KenyanAventure is a travel company with a difference. As well as providing the sight seeing opportunities and relaxation most people expect from a holiday, it sets out to help local communities in Kenya.

People who travel on their tours spend some of their holiday helping local people on community projects.

The company wants to help charities in the UK as well, by giving its customers the option of raising sponsorship. KenyanAdventure has chosen BRACE as one of its supported charities and is inviting people to support BRACE through a trip that will take place from 12th to 23rd March 2012.

If these dates are not possible for you, it is also possible to organise your own trip in support of BRACE. You would probably be travelling with individuals supporting a range of other charities.

For further information about this remarkable opportunity, please see http://www.kenyanadventure.com/brace.html or ring 0845 862 1381.

Take an adventure in Kenya… for BRACE

Jenny Pierce, a legacies

specialist with Wards Solicitors in Bristol, looks

at the likely impact of this year’s budget.

Charitable Gifting on Death

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

News in brief...

Members of Saltford Golf Club held a charity coffee morning in aid of BRACE on 3rd March - and raised a remarkable £2,500 in a little over two hours.

this year’s Ladies Captain, Pam Street (pictured above), selected BRACE as the charity for the club to support. Pam said, “A huge, big thank you to everyone who contributed to our wonderfully successful charity coffee morning. I couldn’t have done it without all my hard-working helpers and of course all the people who came and spent money.”

Our thanks to the organisers of the Bristol Beer Festival in March. They raised £479 for BRACE by asking customers to donate their unused beer tokens.

Bristol Barons Ball chose BRACE as its charity at the end of 2010 and raised over £3,000 for us in one evening. With Gift Aid, the final total will be much higher.

We are grateful to the members of Stinchcombe Hill Golf Club in Gloucestershire. They raised £3,169 and Geoff Simms came to the BRACE Golf Day to present the cheque.

Geoff says, “I have supported BRACE for the past 15 years or so and latterly for the 10 years of the Golf Day. I was brought into supporting by my mother who carried out fundraising until she passed away a few years ago.”

Photo: Geoff Simms brought Stinchcombe’s cheque to the BRACE Golf Day and

presented it to Kate Allenby and Alan Parsons

“They’re not all for me, honest…”

This was heard several times by Lynn and Debbie as they served delicious homemade cakes to their customers, many of them hospital staff.

Lynn, a dementia nurse who works in the John James Laboratories at Frenchay Hospital, arranged the cake sale and raffle as her contribution to Dementia Awareness Week in July, raising £143 for BRACE.

�� | BRACE www.alzheimers-brace.org