THE Mammoth Boot Fairs in Polegate have donated over £5,600 to Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity.
In the 2025 season alone, owner and operator Margot Baker-Beall has collected £1,800, which has been added to the previous donations of £1,200 in 2019 and £2,611.50 in 2024, taking the grand total to £5,611.50.
Margot commented: “The Mammoth Boot Fairs community has been extremely generous. Dementia touches the lives of so many of our sellers and buyers that it’s a cause close to our hearts.”
When Margot’s husband David died from Alzheimer’s Disease in 2019, she was inspired to raise money to help fund vital dementia research through the car boot sale business they ran together. The money has mostly been raised by offering sellers free pitches in exchange for an optional donation to the charity, plus collection buckets located around the site.
David started the boot fairs at Cophall Farm in 1988, and it immediately became a popular venue for regular Sunday and Bank Holiday boot fairs during the summer months.
Mammoth Boot Fairs is very much a family-run business with David and Margot’s children, Christopher, Lisa and Jamie helping out from a young age, as soon as they were old enough. David was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when he was only 64, but continued to be involved in the boot fairs until he became too ill to work.
The familiarity of the regular customers and the buzz of a busy boot fair helped David enormously, as it was somewhere he always felt safe and able to interact with others.
Following his death, Margot continued with the boot fairs, with the help of Christopher, Lisa and Jamie and Lisa’s husband Dan. When the opportunity arose to raise money for charity, the beneficiary was always going to be Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Dementia affects almost one million people in the UK alone and has a huge impact on families. Some 28,498* people are estimated to be living with dementia in Sussex alone, and it is now the leading cause of death in the UK. It is most commonly caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Research UK is working to revolutionise the way dementia is treated, diagnosed and prevented.
Margot added: “We will continue to raise funds for this really important charity as we know only too well the impact dementia has on those living with it and their families. Planning laws only allow us to hold 14 events in any one year, but we will always ensure that at least one event will include a fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Shelle Luscombe, Relationship Fundraiser for Kent and Sussex at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We’re so grateful to the Mammoth Boot Fairs community for raising money for Alzheimer’s Research UK. Supporters like Margot play a crucial role in raising awareness of the work of the charity, and enabling the general public to contribute to funding the amazing research work that is currently taking place.
“If nothing changes, one in two of us will be directly affected by dementia – either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both. But, we’re at a real turning point in the journey towards a cure. Latest figures report 182 clinical trials taking place globally, with 138 potential new drugs being tested.”
For further info about Mammoth Boot Fairs, visit www.mammothbootfairs.co.uk
