A 75-year-old who has clocked-up half-a-million miles of sailing experience is heading back onto the water to raise cash for a cause very close to her heart.

Julia Creeke, who watched her mother suffer from Alzheimer’s, is calling on the community to keep up its support for the Sid Valley Memory Café’s Admiral Nurse Campaign as it nears its ‘crucial’ goal.

Julia is a huge advocate of Admiral Nurses after caring for her mother, Eleanor, for six years until her death in 1995.

The Peak Hill resident is looking to raise £5,000 ahead of the Eddystone Charity Sailing Pursuit on June 18.

The event is organised by the Eleanor Creeke Charitable Settlement, set up in memory of Julia’s mother, to help charities that benefit the human condition. Julia said: “I have loved the water from an early age and estimate that I have sailed half-a-million-miles on larger vessels. Having cared for my mother, who lived with Alzhiemer’s for the last six years of her life, I have entered the Eddystone Charity Sailing Pursuit many times before. At 75, after a recent knee operation, I will be back on the water to raise funds for a cause close to my heart. It’s the last crucial bit and we can help raise £5,000, but we do need help from the local community and all those who have suffered who would benefit from it [Admiral Nurse].”

To donate, visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/juliacreeke1