An East Kilbride fitness instructor has pledged to support a local dementia charity in memory of her late father.
Arleen Dingwall's dad, Bobby Brown, lost his life to the illness back in January, 2011, aged 74.
Bobby was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Arleen could only watch as her beloved dad deteriorated before her eyes.
The Lindsayfield mum-of-two told Lanarkshire Live she struggled to come to terms with his death and "lost all motivation" for teaching.
But, after taking a change in direction with her career and re-training as a pilates instructor, she has expanded her now thriving wellness business, specialising in pregnancy and postnatal pilates and stress-busting meditation.
Keen to give back to the community that supported her, Arleen chose a charity close to her heart to fundraise for throughout last month.
And, she said, it had to be EK Dementia Carers Group, in memory of her dad.
Arleen has created a recipe ebook containing 50 healthy meal ideas which include the calorie amount per serving - with all proceeds going to the charity which provides support for people with dementia, and their families, at its day care centre in Greenhills.
The 48-year-old said: "I lost my dad 11 years ago to vascular dementia and wanted to do something in his memory in the new year.
"He was instrumental in my re-training in pilates. I really struggled to face people and lost all motivation for teaching after he died but he inspired me to make that change and love teaching again.
"Maintaining good health through regular exercise and proper nutrition can be life-changing and can even assist in disease prevention. I devised a recipe ebook with 50 nutritious recipes and a whole section on hormones.
"Understanding how our lifestyle choices affect our hormone level is vital if we want to get the best results possible."
Arleen, who teaches classes in the Crutherland Hotel, Nuffield Fitness and the Village Centre in East Kilbride, has raised £575 so far and is appealing for the support of her hometown to help pull in more donations for the cause.
She added: "Like all charity’s EK Dementia Carers is struggling due to the pandemic. They need around £50,000 a year to stay afloat, so all profits raised in January and February will go to them.
"What EK Dementia Carers do is really wonderful. Not only do they give families of those with dementia some respite, they have their minibus to take them on trips for fish teas.
"I just wish there had been something like that for my dad back then. It could have helped me to understand my dad's condition a bit more.
"He had dementia a good few years before going into the nursing home and there just wasn't a support network there to help loved ones.
"I hope I can raise as much as possible to support this wonderful local charity."
As well as raising funds, Arleen is encouraging people to be 'Fabulous in February' with a social media fitness challenge aiming to get people moving for an extra 10 minutes a day.
Get involved and make a donation to her fundraiser here.
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