Phyllis, 93, rides on Triumph motorbike for Alzheimer’s Society fundraiser

A 93-year-old fundraiser has taken to a Triumph motorbike to raise more money for a charity close to her heart.

Phyllis Hunt, from Tibenham, rode pillion on the back of the metal marvel around the village, on September 28, to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society.

Mrs Hunt has a close connection to the progressive brain disease as her husband, Patrick, died from it in 2012.

“I met him when I was 15, was engaged at 16, married at 18 and we were man and wife for 64 years,” she said.

“It didn’t happen to him overnight. We went on a cruise and were ballroom dancing, which we loved, and I found I was doing the leading.

“It was little things like that, but it never clicked that there was anything wrong with him and it never entered my head that he had Alzheimer’s.”

Mr Hunt was diagnosed in 2015 and his wife looked after him for six-and-a-half years.

Her fundraising for the charity was inspired by a hospital stay for her husband.

“Patrick was in hospital after breaking his arm in two places and there was this man in another bed who had been in a motorbike accident,” said Mrs Hunt.

“After talking to him, he said he was going to do a head shave for Alzheimer’s and it got me thinking about raising money for the charity.”

In 2014, Mrs Hunt had her head shaved during an Alzheimer’s fundraising event in Norwich’s Marks and Spencer store and raised about £6,000.

This spurred her on to raise more money for the Alzheimer’s Society and, after raising hundreds of pounds through a tombola, she started to think on a bigger scale.

“I then decided I was going to do a skydive, but my daughter was against it and my doctor said I could not do it,” she said.

“So I wrote an article in the parish magazine about Alzheimer’s and said I would either like to do a skydive or go on the back of a motorbike.”

Rider Greg Southgate contacted the magazine and the ride around the village from the community hall was set up.

Mrs Hunt, who has two daughters, six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, said: “Having never being on a motorbike before, I thoroughly enjoyed it .

“We all need to do more fundraising like this to fight Alzheimer’s so a cure can be found.

“Until you have been through it with somebody, you have no idea how devastating it is.”

Mrs Hunt’s JustGiving page has raised more than £200 so far and she said she was very grateful to everyone who had donated.

“When my husband had it, at that time, there were not places to take him to listen to music or mix with other people who had the disease, but now there is support and people are working to find a cure.

“I thank everyone who has put money in from the bottom of my heart as every pound raised gets us a step closer to finding a cure for this terrible disease.”

To donate, go to JustGiving and search for Phyllis Hunt.

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