West Berkshire Alzheimer's Society win the Greenham Gift 2010 prize of £50,000.

West Berkshire Alzheimer's Society walked away with £50,000 last night after winning Greenham Common Trust's Greenham Gift 2010.

The local branch, which wants to use the money to set up an outreach service for people with dementia in the Lambourn Valley area, was up against Naomi House, St Finian's Catholic Primary School and Bradfield Sunshine Club in the most closely contested Greenham Gifts ever. The three runners-up each received £8,000 and a fourth runner-up, Crossroads Care, chosen by the audience on the night, was also awarded £8,000.

The four finalists, which were chosen by the public through an online voting system this year as well as being published in the Newbury Weekly News, had to give presentations and take questions from a public audience before they voted for a winner.

There were just two votes separating the winner from the runners-up in the final vote.

West Berkshire Alzheimer's Society's spokesperson, Mrs Chreanne Montgomery-Smith, said: "It's wonderful, we are thrilled. We do have the worry that people in rural areas are under diagnosed and under supported because they are terrified of being diagnosed, because there's so little support for them that their outlook is very bleak."

She asked a third of the audience to stand up to illustrate the shocking statistic that a third of the population over the age of 65 is likely to die with dementia.

Mrs Montgomery-Smith added that creating access to some of the positive services such as Singing for the Brain, which she pioneered in Newbury and Gardening for the Brain, will make a significant difference to Lambourn Valley residents' lives.

She said people are afraid to be labelled as having Alzheimer's or dementia and said that it is important to engage people so that they can do things for themselves. The support worker being employed with part of the Greenham Gift money will help to empower people.

Former Alzheimer's carer, Jean Bundock of East Garston, who called upon the assistance of the West Berkshire Alzheimer's Society branch for her husband Bill, said: "The more we talk about it, it lessens the stigma and it's getting so much better. It made such a difference to Bill and me. It's not just the person with Alzheimer's - it's the carer."

Director of the Greenham Common Trust, David Bailey, said: "Greenham Common Trust was created to support our community. There is fantastic work being done in the community by sometimes under funded and over looked people. So this is just a way to give the people of Newbury an interaction and a sight of these sometimes over looked organisations."

Don't forget the next round of Greenham Common Trust reactive grant aid opens on September 2nd, 2010. For more information please email melissa@greenham-common-trust.co.uk. or call Melissa Elliott on 01635 817455.