Northamptonshire based dementia campaigner Pete Middleton has been awarded the prestigious Coronation Champion title by the Royal Voluntary Service. Five hundred volunteers were selected from 5,000 nominations to become the nation’s Coronation Champions. The awards were designed by Her Majesty The Queen Consort, as she and His Majesty The King were keen for the Coronation to be used to recognise and reward those who go that extra mile in their communities.
Pete Middleton won the award for his tireless campaigning work for Alzheimer’s Society, who he began volunteering for in 2019, soon after he was diagnosed with dementia. He was still working at the time and shared his story with the media for the award winning 2022 Alzheimer’s Society campaign – ‘It’s not called getting old, it’s called getting ill’ – which encouraged people worried about their own or their loved ones’ memory to seek support.
During the pandemic Pete put his IT skills to great use, co-producing 3 Nations Dementia Working Group webinars sharing tips for using IT and shining a light on critical issues for people living with dementia. While self-isolating, Pete filmed a video diary for a Channel 4 documentary, raising dementia-awareness and challenging the myth that people with dementia were all in care homes.
In 2022 he became an Independent Committee Member with Alzheimer’s Society’s Trustees. He’s currently mentoring an Associate Director and working with Alzheimer’s Society’s Data and IT teams to help make the Society a more dementia-inclusive place to work and volunteer at.
Pete said: “I use my lived experience to inform and educate others. I am a blogger, a fundraiser, a public speaker, a volunteer, and a research lab rat. My dementia has provided me with a unique perspective. I want to share it.”
He has truly earned his Coronation Champion specially designed pin and will also be invited to attend one of the official Coronation celebrations, such as the Windsor Castle Coronation Concert or a Coronation Garden Party.
Alzheimer’s Society East Midlands and Central Area Manager, Tina Kierman, said: “We all want to congratulate Pete Middleton on becoming a Coronation Champion. It’s a truly outstanding achievement, and one he well and truly deserves. Everyone at Alzheimer’s Society is extremely grateful to Pete for supporting the over 153,000 people living with dementia across the Midlands and the 900,000 across the UK.
“He has contributed so much to so many teams across the society. We are in awe of his commitment and talent for raising awareness and tackling the issues that impact people affected by dementia head on. He truly is a Dementia Champion and a Coronation Champion.”
To follow in Pete’s inspiring footsteps, you can get involved with Alzheimer’s Society this Dementia Action Week (15-21 May) or wear a Forget Me Not badge during May to send a message to everyone affected by dementia that they have not been forgotten. For Dementia Action Week Alzheimer’s Society will launch a new interactive symptom checker and will release new insights that show how diagnosis and symptoms are often misunderstood.
