Mother and Son duo from Doncaster are walking 16 miles to raise money for an Alzheimer’s charity

Peter Bennet was 70 years old when he died after contracting Covid-19.

He was well known in the Doncaster community for being a lively children’s entertainer.

Born and bred in Cantley he is a well loved figure who many will remember for years to come.

His daughter Victoria Bennett is hoping to raise money in his memory for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Victoria, 37, from Bentley, said: “Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when he was 59 so 11 years ago.

“In April we will be walking 16 miles to the care home he was a resident at in Sheffield to raise money for the charity which is close to my heart.

“Alzheimer’s is such a devastating illness and it needs more awareness and research.”

Victoria will be doing the walk with her son Aaron Brown who is 17 years old.

“I’m so proud of him for wanting to support me,” she said.“He was diagnosed with autism when he was five years old so this is a massive challenge for him.”

Victoria cared for her father before he lived in a care home and said she wants to raise money to help other families who are struggling through the same things she has.

“It’s so hard to understand what’s going on inside the minds of people with Alzheimer’s,” she continued.

“There really needs to be more support for people going through it.”

As Peter died at the very beginning of the pandemic only 10 people were able to attend his funeral and Victoria has not yet been able to throw him a wake.

She said: “It really came as a shock to me to lose him to Covid-19.

“Naively I thought he would be safe, it was the last thing I was expecting.

“One of the hardest things was not being able to hug family members after he died because of restrictions in place.

“I couldn’t have any physical contact for comfort.”

You can donate to Victoria’s fundraiser here.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Liam Hoden, editor.