A COUNTY Durham woman has swapped bar work for charity work after landing a key regional job with the Alzheimer’s Society.

Rebecca Scott, 24, from Murton, has been appointed as the dementia charity’s Newcastle-based community fundraising officer for the North East and Cumbria.

It is a role that is close to the heart for the former Easington Community School and Bede Sixth Form pupil as her late grandmother, Grace Salkeld, had dementia and her memory will be an inspiration as she strives to boost Alzheimer's Society coffers.

"I know from personal experience that it is a devastating disease and that makes me doubly determined to do my gran proud with the Alzheimer's Society,’ Ms Scott said.

"She meant the world to me and she’s in my thoughts every day – I know she’d be proud of my role within the society.

"She was a huge part of me growing up and I was one of her main carers in her last few years.

"I owe her a huge amount and to see her drift away in the latter years of her life was heartbreaking – seeing that decline in her will really spur me on with Alzheimer's Society.

"I just wish she was still here to see me working for a charity that is determined to make life better for people with dementia and their carers."

The Leeds Metropolitan University graduate – who has a degree is psychology - has left her role as sales and events manager at the Revolution bar in Sunderland.

She is no stranger to the Alzheimer's Society as she also was a member of the charity’s Chester-le-Street volunteer fundraising group.

"Volunteers are a key part of Alzheimer's Society fundraising and the Memory Walks on the Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside and Chester-le-Street showed just how they are becoming increasingly significant," she  added.

‘‘It’s a pretty big challenge ahead of me but I am looking forward to doing everything I can to raise money for the charity and raise awareness to tackle the stigma that is attached to dementia.

"Volunteers are a vital part of our fundraising efforts and there are lots of brilliant things going across the region which just show how passionately people feel about fighting dementia and that makes me full of optimism."

For further details about community-fundraising efforts in the North-East contact Rebecca on 0191 275 1950