Martin Keown joins Lord's charity walk and calls for more dementia funding
Martin Keown walked laps at Lord's for the Alzheimer's Society, saying his mother has Alzheimer's and that dementia needs more awareness, research and funding.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown joined a charity walk at Lord's Cricket Ground to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society. He took part with other sports stars in a challenge of 100 laps around the ground. He said he was about 40 laps in and described the distance as around 30 odd miles. He also said the event was raising £300,000 with just 100 people taking part.
Keown said his mother has Alzheimer's, and he described the impact as traumatic for the family and the person with the condition. His father became her carer, teaching himself to cook, sew and clean. Keown said his father had told him to "pull your finger out" and do something for the charity. The family did not know where to turn at first, he said, and it took many years for his mother to be assessed before she went into a home. He said she lost abilities one by one, could no longer walk or talk, and now looks out of a window. There is no cure in sight at the moment, he added.
Keown used the event to call for more awareness and funding. He said one in three people will eventually get dementia, not just older people, and that his mother got it young. He said dementia charities have fallen behind others in fundraising and urged people worried about a loved one to reach out to the Alzheimer's Society.
Asked about the links between football and dementia, Keown drew a distinction between dementia caused by heading balls and the wider issue he was supporting. He said he was not worried about his own future and had no regrets about his playing career. He said he is doing cognitive testing laid out by the PFA and is currently in good shape, and that he wants to put his energy into helping others.
Viewers were shown the Alzheimer's Society website for anyone with questions or concerns about dementia.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 |
|---|---|
| Martin Keown joined sports stars in a charity walk of 100 laps around Lord's Cricket Ground for the Alzheimer's Society, with the event reported as raising £300,000 from 100 participants. | |
| Martin Keown said that one in three people will eventually develop dementia, and that it is not limited to elderly people. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel covered the story through a live interview with Keown at the walk. It focused on his family experience of Alzheimer's and his calls for more dementia funding, with a direct question about football and heading risk. The tone was personal and supportive, and it gave the charity's website on screen.
- “my mother has Alzheimer's so I'm fully aware of how traumatic that is for a family to cope with that and the individual involved”
- “One in three people will eventually get dementia, not just elderly people”
- “we're raising £300,000 here today with just 100 people that are doing this walk”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 17:30 BST
Martin Keown, former Arsenal and England star
“Well, Dan, obviously my mother has Alzheimer's so I'm fully aware of how traumatic that is for a family to cope with that and the individual involved.”
5 News with Dan Walker · Mon 28 Sept
Broadcast Timeline
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