Kingston’s mayor has thrown his support behind the hospital’s Dementia Appeal and is hoping to raise a massive £750,000 in two years for the cause.

Mayor Roy Arora has chosen to support the appeal through the Mayor’s charitable trust heavily influenced by his wife Manisha, who volunteers at Kingston Hospital.

It is a cause close to the couple’s hearts and they have kept a quote cut out from an Alzheimer’s Society leaflet pinned to their fridge for more than a decade.

It reads: “I believe that dementia is where cancer was 40 years ago – surrounded by ignorance, fear and stigma.

“But there is hope – celebrities are beginning to speak out about the illness and films such as Iris tell it as it is and have moved public understanding on.”

Mrs Arora said: “As a volunteer it is very easy to see the areas in the hospital that could do with a little more support.

“Kingston has one of the highest rates of elderly people in the country and we will soon be facing a big problem.”

Nearly half of the patients that are over 75 admitted to the hospital have some form of dementia, and an estimated 8 per cent of Kingston residents have the condition.

The money from the appeal will be used to do simple things such as colour coding wards so that patients find it easier to get around, to more complex and expensive projects.

The Aroras hope to raise enough money to buy a Rem Pod, which is a room made to look like a 1950s or 60s living room or pub that dementia suffers feel more comfortable in.

These are important because most dementia patients will not be living at the hospital but will come in when they are having problems associated with the condition.

Serge Lourie, chairman of the charity committee at Kingston Hospital, helped to set up the appeal.

He said: “If the appeal succeeds, which it will with everyone’s support, the hospital will be an absolute beacon for the treatment of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.”

Coun Arora knows that £750,000 is an “extremely ambitious” target, especially as it will be less than a year before a new mayor is sworn in and another charitable trust chosen.

He said: “The future of the hospital and the way we treat dementia and Alzheimer’s patients will change. This is a very important cause and I will ask the next mayor to carry on. It will of course be up to them what they choose.

“To raise this money we will not only be looking to do fundraising events. We will have to talk to people with a lot of money who can make some big donations.

“Kingston Hospital helps so many people and not just in the borough.

“In the end money is just money; this project is about human beings.”