DonMentia is proud to announce John Stiles as Ambassador for the charity.
“Hello, my name is John Stiles. Firstly, I would like to say what an honour and privilege it is to be DonMentia’s Ambassador. For those who may not know me, I am a former professional footballer. My Dad, Nobby Stiles, played in the 1966 England World Cup winning team.
You may ask why a former footballer would be involved with a local dementia charity? Well there are a number of reasons, all very personal to me. Firstly, my Dad passed away with dementia in October 2020. My family and I witnessed first
hand the impact Dementia had on not just my Dad but my Mum and family as a whole. If I can use that experience to help anyone going through a similar experience it would be a pleasure to do so.
Secondly, I am very active, with many other footballers, in making Governments and Football Associations aware of the link between head impacts (heading the ball) and early onset dementia and dementia in later life. I am very passionate about this issue and continue to lobby not just for change but for help for ex-footballers affected by dementia. After seeing how the care system worked as my Dad deteriorated, my family and I are also campaigning for dementia to be treated like other diseases. Like heart disease, kidney disease or liver disease, dementia should be seen as a health need and not a social care need.
Finally, I am a Doncaster resident and have been aware of DonMentia for several years having supported a number of events and activities. It would be great if I can help in any way the citizens of Doncaster who are affected by dementia and we can improve their life experience in any way.”