'Reality of dementia' as fan forgets being mascot

Adron received a video message from World Cup Winner Sir Geoff Hurst inviting him to Wembley to be a mascot

A football fan with dementia who led out the England men's team at Wembley last week feels frustrated he can no longer remember the big moment.

Adron, 81, was one of 22 people living with dementia who walked out with the England and Wales team before their "Alzheimer's Society International" friendly.

Adron's son Darren said the reality of dementia was that his father "forgot the Wembley experience pretty much straight away" and this frustrates and scares him.

But his family have said they will never forget "seeing his face watching the match" and how much it meant to him.

Adron, who is a lifelong Bristol City fan, began playing league football in his youth.

He was also in the crowd at Wembley in 1966 to witness England winning the World Cup - what he says is his most memorable event and still has the ticket stubs from that game.

Earlier this year, Adron received a video message from World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst, inviting him back to Wembley to be a mascot.

After being shown photographs of him walking out with the players, Darren said his father had asked, "did it really happen?".

"It's emotional, but unfortunately that is one of the main effects of dementia," Darren said.

It is the fourth game of its kind, known as the Alzheimer's Society International, since the Football Association established a partnership with the charity in 2021.

Over the past four years, the partnership has raised more than £1.2m for the Alzheimer's Society.

There are more than 101,500 people living with dementia in south-west England, including about 4,600 people in Bristol.

Matt Hughes-Short, of the Alzheimer's Society, said the partnership with the Football Association had had "such a tangible impact for people with dementia and thousands of fans, players and staff now know where to go to access vital support".