A GIRL from Glan Conwy is to face a charity walk up Snowdon in memory of her late grandfather.

Amelia Robert, 11, will take on the trek later in November with brother Ben, 26, and his friend, Josh, in aid of the charity Dementia UK.

The cause is particularly close to Amelia’s heart after the devastating loss of her grandfather, Ernest Prendergast, who died in September 2020 aged 90 after suffering from vascular dementia.

She is already more than halfway to reaching her target of £500.

Amelia’s mother and Ernest’s stepdaughter, Donna, said: “She loved her grandad so much. It really hit her hard when he died; she collapsed to the floor when we told her. She was really close to him.

“It (Dementia UK) is a charity very close to her heart. She even put her pocket money in (the donations fund) yesterday!”

Ernest was a chiropodist, who had a surgery on Wynnstay road in Colwyn Bay, before later offering a mobile service.

Donna recalled how “heart-breaking” it was for his family to watch him diminish further due to the illness.

That Ernest died during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic also made it somewhat more difficult for the family to say goodbye to him.

She added: “It was awful just watching him decline to the point where he couldn’t remember things, or lift a sandwich to his mouth, or barely open his eyes at the end. He was such an intelligent man.

“He passed away in 2020, so was taken to hospital after a fall, but wasn’t allowed any visitors.

“We got him home about a week or two before he died, so the kids got to see him, but it was heart-breaking because he wasn’t even half the man he used to be; he’d lost so much weight.”

You can donate to Amelia’s fund by visiting: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/donna-robert1.

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A message from Amelia on the JustGiving page added: “I am doing this to raise money for Dementia UK and their research, as they don't get nearly as much to their cause as other charities.

“I lost my grandad to vascular dementia in September 2020 and it was very difficult to watch him change, but we never lost our close bond.

“I miss him every day and I want to make him proud. Grandad was a local chiropodist, who had many friends and loyal customers.

“I would really appreciate any donations to help my fundraising, however small.”