Doctor Akash is the first over the starting line for South Yorkshire charity Lost Chord UK
A doctor who sees the impact of dementia first-hand has become the first runner to join South Yorkshire-based music and dementia charity Lost Chord UK for next year's London Landmarks Half Marathon.
Dr Akash Srinivasan has secured the first of just five charity places available with Lost Chord UK and says it is the charity's belief in the power of live music that inspired him to run.
And now the charity is inviting four more runners to join him on the start line next April.
Working as a doctor, Akash regularly cares for people living with dementia and sees the effect the condition has on both the person and those closest to them.
Away from medicine, however, his other lifelong passion is music and having grown up playing both the violin and the flute, he has always believed music has the ability to reach people in remarkable ways.
And after learning more about Lost Chord UK's work with communities across the country, he decided he wanted to help make more of those moments possible.
"As a doctor, I regularly meet people living with dementia and see the impact it has on their lives and their loved ones,” he explained.
“I've also been a musician since I was young, playing both the violin and flute, so I've always believed music has an extraordinary effect on the mind.
"When I discovered Lost Chord UK and the work they do supporting people through live interactive music, I knew it was a charity I wanted to support.
Lost Chord UK supports more than 9,000 people and families each year through professional live interactive music sessions in care homes, hospitals, hospices and community settings across England and Wales.
Taking place on Sunday, April 4, 2027, the 13.1-mile closed-road race winds through the heart of London, passing many of the capital's best-known landmarks including Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye and Tower Bridge.
There is a £30 registration fee and a minimum fundraising pledge of £350.
Anybody wanting to support Akash and his fellow runners with a donation should visit https://lost-chord.org.uk/london-landmark-half-marathon-2027-support-our-runners/