Groundhog Day brings overnight screening challenge for Milton Keynes film fan

Andrew Brooker, 35, of Oakridge Park, has set himself the challenge of raising £500 in donations for the Alzheimer’s Society by watching the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day back-to-back on Groundhog Day, Friday, February 2.

Beating Alzheimer’s disease has been a cause close to Andrew’s heart ever since his nan Alice Maryon was diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 2006 shortly before she passed away from cancer.

While watching the BAFTA winning movie earlier this year with his daughter Nikita, Andrew considered that living the same day over and over - as Bill Murray’s character Phil Connors does - might be similar to the effects of dementia.

After bringing up the idea with friends of watching the movie on repeat non-stop for a whole day he set up a JustGiving page with a £500 target and started to spread the message.

Andrew, whose background is in IT, said: “I don’t think there’s anything that scares me more than the thought of being diagnosed with dementia. Having seen the speed at which my own nan slipped away from being the smartest person I knew to how she was in the end was terrifying.

“Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease, for the people who have it and their loved ones, and I just want to do something to help others who have found themselves in that situation and this seemed like a fun way to do it.”

To donate to Andrew’s JustGiving page, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/groundhogday