A MEMORY walk raising money in honour of a local legend battling vascular dementia has seen more than 80 people come together in support of a Bridport family’s campaign.

The plight of the much-loved entertainer Jon Lee and his fight against a debilitating illness has captured the community.

He spent more than 30 years on stage and running the stables at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park – helping create memories for thousands of families. But today, he is bedridden and fighting for his life.

His daughter, Kristy Stordy, from Bridport, shared her father’s story to help raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s Society.

Culminating in a memory walk last week on Saturday, the event raised just under £5,000.

Now, the Alzheimer’s Society is using the family’s experience to help others.

Kristy said: “They said we had raised the most money independently for a memory walk. To know everyone came together to raise that much money is incredible.”

The young mother said it was amazing to see so many people turn up.

The walk started in Bridport and ended at the Marquis of Lorne in Nettlecombe and passed Kristy parents home in Loders, where their mother Kim cares for Jon.

Kristy said: “It was so lovely. There was about 84 people who came and each one of them knew Dad on a personal level.”

She said: “As soon as we got to Loders people went in to see my Dad and it upset them. They saw the true reality of the illness and the devastation.”

But after the initial shock, Kristy said people came to realise this was the reason they were doing the walk – in hope that one day there will be ‘a world without dementia’.

An incredible £3,773 has been raised on a Just Giving page, smashing the original target of £750.

On the day, over £650 in donations were collected. Kristy said they expect the final total to be just under £5,000.

She said: “When the total kept going up I couldn’t believe it. I’m still just speechless.”

Kristy said she received so many messages of support from people in Dorset.

She said: “It reached so many people. It was bigger than I ever thought it would be.

“It’s remarkable to see as a family us making something positive out of a negative thing. We have already said next year we are going to make it even bigger.”