In his weekly column James writes about Carry On films, dementia research, approval for A47 scheme, and running the London Marathon
Growing up in the age of VHS cassettes, I remember watching many of the Carry On films borrowed from the local video store. It may be unwise to list my favourites of the music hall and seaside postcard humour genre – which were of their time – but Carry On Camping is one I remember. This isn’t a film review column and I mention this only because the Prime Minister has launched a national mission to tackle dementia in memory of Barbara Windsor, a star of those films, who sadly experienced this terrible disease.
One million people are predicted to be living with dementia by 2025, and 1.6 million by 2040. It is striking that up to 40 per cent of dementia cases are potentially preventable, but clinical trials remain under-resourced and causes are still poorly understood. That’s why this plan will speed up research through a Covid vaccine-style taskforce, boosting the number of clinical trials and delivering the commitment to double research funding by 2024, reaching £160 million a year.
All families who have had relatives suffer this awful disease know the heartbreak that it causes. Research offers the potential to understand the causes, develop treatments, and improve care. People with or without a family history of dementia are asked to register their interest in taking part in clinical trials for preventative therapies.
The Vaccines Taskforce model demonstrated how to get things done quickly by developing vaccines in under a year when they can take a decade. And the UK is the first country in the world to approve a new Moderna vaccines designed to target two different forms of Covid. This will be offered as part of the autumn booster programme and do get your jab – it’s not too late to have your first or other jabs.
The dementia mission is just one of the important initiatives that the government is taking forward while the Conservative Party leadership election continues.
Another announcement that I welcome was approval by the Transport Secretary for another of the schemes to dual part of the A47. The route from North Tuddenham to Easton will link two existing dualled sections. This £200 million project is one of six schemes to improve the A47 approved by the government in the current investment period through to 2025 – dualling all the A47 remains the ultimate aim and I am backing further improvements in the next investment phase particularly the Tilney to East Winch scheme.
Watching some coverage of the World Athletic Championships, Commonwealth Games, and European Championships, was a reminder that I’ve had a very micro version of a Steve Redgrave moment myself. He famously said after his fourth Olympic gold that “anyone sees me go near a boat, you've got my permission to shoot me” before competing once more to win a fifth gold. After finishing the London Marathon last year, for the third time, I said that was enough but I’ve decided to run it again.
It is a brilliant if painful experience but also provides the opportunity to support brilliant local charities again. Last year, people’s generosity meant over £6,000 was raised for my three chosen charities - Little Discoverers, West Norfolk Carers, and The Purfleet Trust.
This year, I will be running for the Pandora Project which supports women and children affected by domestic abuse, West Norfolk Deaf Association, and West Norfolk Befriending. All three are making a difference in our community by supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse, tackling loneliness, or helping deaf and hard of hearing people. If you would like to donate, please visit https://jameswild.org.uk/londonmarathon
Volunteer for dementia research https://www.joindementiaresearch.nihr.ac.uk/
Contact your MP [email protected] www.jameswild.org.uk
This column first appeared in Your Local Paper on 19 August 2022
