"Now is more important than ever" - Penarth photographer back with new calendar to raise funds for Alzheimer's Society
By Alex Jones
5th Sep 2020 | Local News
Dementia is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the most prevalent underlying condition among COVID-19's victims.
In England and Wales, 20.4% of those who die with the disease have previously been diagnosed with either dementia or Alzheimer's.
"It makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Lots of people with Alzheimer's live in care homes - which makes them vulnerable for obvious reasons - but also many struggle with social distancing. That's why I think now is more important than ever to support the Alzheimer's Society."
Phil Lewis is an amateur photographer based in Penarth. In 2018, he released a charity calendar that raised £3,000 for a cause very close to his heart.
""My dad got it when he was 63. He had to leave work as a result of it. He had spent all of his life saving for a retirement that he never saw, and the money that he saved didn't got to his wife in the end - it went on his care.
"So it was tragic in so many ways, not least because he was so young.
"I also want to emphasise the fact that it's such an undignified disease that is so difficult for families as well.
"But one of the silver linings was that the Alzheimer's Society took such good care of my stepmum. So I really understand the good the charity does."
Upon hearing how COVID disproportionately impacts dementia sufferers, Phil felt compelled to release another issue of his calendar this year.
Filled with pictures taken of Penarth during the "blue hour" (30 minutes either side of sunrise), the 20121 calendar has already proved popular.
"I posted the news that I would be doing another calendar on the Sunday, and by the end of Tuesday I'd had pre-orders for 85 calendars and I'd collected over £1,000.
"Given that dementia is such a growing problem and that we've got such an ageing society, now is more important than ever to support this cause."
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