{"id":333282,"date":"2025-12-08T22:31:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T22:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/333282\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T22:31:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T22:31:09","slug":"pauline-quirkes-son-starts-dementia-charity-walk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/333282\/","title":{"rendered":"Pauline Quirke’s son starts dementia charity walk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alzheimer'sAlzheimer’s Research UK<\/p>\n

Charlie Quirke set off on his five-day fundraising trek from Chigwell, where Birds of a Feather was set, and was waved off by actors Linda Robson and Ray Winstone<\/p>\n

The son of Birds of a Feather star Pauline Quirke has set out on a 140km (87 mile) fundraising walk for Alzheimer’s research, taking in “so many iconic locations” from his mother’s life and career.<\/p>\n

The 66-year-old actress, who also starred in Emmerdale and Broadchurch, was diagnosed with dementia<\/a> in 2021.<\/p>\n

Charlie Quirke, 31, began his challenge just before 08:00 GMT at Victory Hall in Chigwell, the suburban Essex-London border town where the BBC sitcom was set.<\/p>\n

His mother’s friends Linda Robson – who starred in the sitcom alongside her – and actor Ray Winstone waved him off.<\/p>\n

He was also sent good luck messages from actresses Ruth Wilson and Olivia Colman, West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and former Hammer Carlton Cole.<\/p>\n

Over the course of Mr Quirke’s five-day walk, he will head to Islington in north London, where his mum was born, and to the headquarters of her theatre school in Buckinghamshire.<\/p>\n

“My mum’s career has been so iconic and so many places have formed her life – it’s going to be a really emotional, beautiful journey,” her son said.<\/p>\n

“It’s moments from her career and her personal life – Islington, where she grew up with Linda, to Windsor where mum got her MBE, past many Pauline Quirke Academies locations.”<\/p>\n

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Robson said she had known her co-star’s son “since he was in the womb” and said she thought dementia was “the worst thing ever”.<\/p>\n

\"Pauline<\/p>\n

(L-R) Pauline Quirke played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the sitcom, alongside Lesley Joseph as Dorien Green and Linda Robson as Tracey Stubbs<\/p>\n

Ahead of his trek, Mr Quirke said: “Dementia’s going to affect one in two people in this country, whether they get diagnosed themselves or caring for someone with it.<\/p>\n

“The research is really paramount so every penny I raise goes straight towards research to help us find a cure.”<\/p>\n

\"CourtesyCourtesy of Quirke family for Alzheimer’s Research UK<\/p>\n

Charlie Quirke said he wanted to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK after his mum, Pauline, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021<\/p>\n

The challenge will see him walk from Chigwell to the home ground of the family’s favourite football club, West Ham, before he heads to Surrey and Berkshire.<\/p>\n

He will stop at the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts in High Wycombe, before finishing at the family home in Buckinghamshire. <\/p>\n

“I actually fractured my leg in August training for this,” he told BBC Essex’s Sonia Watson.<\/p>\n

“The longest walk I’ve done in six months was an hour and a half and that was on Friday.<\/p>\n

“I’ve got a great team behind me, and the donations and messages I’ve had will keep me going.”<\/p>\n

According to Alzheimer’s Research UK<\/a>, about one million people in the UK are living with dementia and this is projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alzheimer’s Research UK Charlie Quirke set off on his five-day fundraising trek from Chigwell, where Birds of a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[49,48,361,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-333282","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-celebrities","11":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}