The trauma of living with Alzheimer's Disease is to provide a hard-hitting storyline for Coronation Street when long-serving ladies' man Mike Baldwin develops the debilitating condition. But for Barbara Kiddle helplessly witnessing her mother's struggle with memory loss and confusion is a reality. Despite the heartbreak, she has launched an amazing appeal to raise £1-million to help other sufferers. James Davis reports.

DISCOVERING that a close relative has Alzheimer's Disease would send most people into a spiral of worry and despair.

But an amazingly ambitious Quedgeley woman - Barbara Kiddle - plans to turn tragedy into triumph.

Her mother Phyllis Norkett was diagnosed with the disease in September at the age of 79.

Now Barbara, 60, has dedicated her life to raising £1-million for the Alzheimer's Society.

She and seven volunteers are now busy organising fundraising events.

"I am determined to do this," she said. "We will do anything we can to raise money."

For most, the cruellest aspect of the condition is that it strips loved-ones of their independence and personality, leaving them a ghost of their former selves.

Millions of TV viewers are set to witness the impact of the condition when Coronation Street's Mike Baldwin becomes afflicted.

"It's so hard seeing my mother acting like a child," said Barbara, a hair specialist.

"When she comes to stay she gets up in the night to use the bathroom and forgets where she's going.

"It's heart-breaking to see her, she gets so muddled and I notice a decline most times I see her," she said.

Barbara's campaign kicked off with a successful clairvoyant evening last month.

Now she is planning an old-time music hall night, coffee mornings, barbecues and car-boot sales.

Mrs Kiddle's determination is partly born out of frustration at proposals to withdraw drugs which ease the suffering.

They cost £2.50 a day but Government body the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is looking into whether they are effective and cost-efficient.

It is due to report on its findings later this month.

Fears the drugs could be axed have sparked an outcry, and the Alzheimer's Society has launched a Hands off Dementia Drugs Campaign.

"The drugs are not a cure but can buy some extra years of quality life before patients are so ill they have to be totally cared for," said Barbara.

* Barbara is organising a Psychic Fair on March 11 and 12 with proceeds going towards the campaign. It is at the Avenue pub in Bristol Road, Gloucester from 10am to 5pm.

* Help and support is available at the Alzheimer's Caf in Christchurch Rooms, Nailsworth. The next meeting is on Wednesday, January 25 between 2pm and 4pm.

Alzheimer's Disease is one of the cruellest illnesses, stripping victims of their most precious memories and making everyday tasks seem insurmountable. Here Barbara gives a moving account of watching her mother's slow decline.

THE signs of my mother's illness have been there for sometime but it wasn't until my stepfather died that I realised how much he had acted as a smokescreen.

He did everything for her - covering up difficult situations and tantrums due to forgetfulness or mood swings.

When he died in April last year it left mum confused and lost. Gradually we have built a life for her without him with the help of her friends and neighbours, and she is able to live alone with her little dog Poppy-Jane.

At this stage of the disease, as long as she lives a simple, regular life she still has her independence.

But this horrible disease will gradually progress to impair any sense of routine due to total memory loss.

Mum is now so forgetful she can't remember if she has been to the bank. If she has she hides the cash away 'so no one can steal it'.

But she can't recall where she left it and it all ends with tears on the telephone because she doesn't have the money for shopping.

After searching her flat for hours she usually finds some cash and goes shopping, buying milk and bread regardless of whether she needs it. She always believes she does need it.

Last week I found three loaves of bread untouched and five large cartons of milk in the fridge but there was nothing she could cook a meal from.

Despite her problems, mum fiercely fights for her independence, refusing meals on wheels or frozen food.

I always take her prepared meals and freeze them - she occasionally remembers to eat one but insists she can cook her own food and doesn't need any help.

Mum has always refused to move to Quedgeley from her home in Berkshire, where she has lived for all of her 80 years. It's now too late for a move - psychiatric staff say it would be the worst thing for her.

My car can almost be switched onto automatic pilot to visit her, sometimes twice weekly.

She comes to stay with me frequently but recently she is becoming more and more anxious when away from her 'safe haven'.

She gets very unsettled and confused especially at night when she needs the bathroom.

This is only the start of her problems with this dreadful disease. Bodily functions have become confusing - even drinking a cup of tea or chewing food becomes difficult.

But nothing can be done and the disease simply keeps marching on. Alzheimer's does not discriminate between young and old, anyone can suffer and no one is immune.

God bless you and thank you for reading this article.

* For further information on her campaign, or if you can help, call Barbara on 01452 720929.