Thunderbirds creator diagnosed with dementia calls for fundraising support

Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson is urging the public to help raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society after he received a dementia diagnosis 18 months ago.

The cult TV icon (83), is asking fans of the classic science fiction series to back his son Jamie in his quest to complete three Memory Walk marathons.

The £5,000 Jamie (27) hopes to raise will go toward supporting the 800,000 people across the UK currently living with dementia.

Gerry first noticed something was wrong when he was driving to Pinewood Studios in London and it took him six hours to get there instead of the one.

He said he was upset when he found out he had dementia but tries to stay positive and enjoy every day.

“I am very proud of what Jamie is doing,” Gerry said.

“I’m encouraging people to sign up for Memory Walk and help Alzheimer's Society support so many other people with my condition. There is a lot of work going on to try and find a cure and of course all this costs money.

“Thunderbirds is famous throughout the world and is still broadcast regularly, so it’s very good at getting people’s interest.”

Jamie told the Belfast Telegraph he hopes Thunderbirds fans will remember the joy his father’s creations brought them over the years and inspire them to dig deep and donate whatever cash they can to the Alzheimer’s Society,

“I have fond memories of all the conventions and seeing all the legions of fans,” Jamie said. “I am hoping this brings lots of support in dad’s quest to highlight dementia. There is no cure at the moment and in a few years time there will be one million sufferers in the UK.”