A mammoth crowd of 1,500 people gathered at the Great Park on Saturday for the first ever Alzheimer’s Society Memory Walk in Windsor.

Beautiful sunshine and highs of 24 degrees welcomed walkers who completed a 3.5km or 8.5km route in aid of dementia research.

The ribbon was cut by Windsor mum Charlotte Tyler who was accompanied by her three-year-old son William Adamson and 20-month old daughter Mabel. Little William was bravely taking part in his first ever fundraising event in memory of Chris - the grandpa he sadly never got to meet.

In 2008, Chris was newly retired and looking forward to the next chapter of life with his wife Sue, when he was suddenly diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia – a rare form of dementia. The bombshell diagnosis shook the family - Chris was a keen runner who had completed five marathons.

He passed away in October 2014 aged 72, a few years before grandson William was born.

Charlotte said: "We were so honoured to cut the ribbon and had the most fantastic day. There was such a wonderful but emotional atmosphere - realising so many people are walking for someone they’ve lost to this cruel disease. William has now raised nearly £500 to help fund vital dementia research, which for a three year old is amazing."

First to finish the 3.5km route was eight-year-old Ava Southwell, who was so determined to finish that she ran part of the way. Ava walked with her mum Becky, Natalie, and dog Rosie, in memory of her great grandma Joan, who sadly passed away before Ava was born. After finishing herself, Ava then enthusiastically helped other volunteers hand out medals to walkers as they crossed the finish line.

She said: “I felt really good when I crossed the finish line because I never got to meet my great granny as she died of dementia, so this was for her. I felt really good about doing the walk and now I’m handing out medals to everyone else."

Many of Saturday's walkers had photos of loved ones pinned to their shirts. They also tied personal messages to the Memory Tree.