Challenge Anneka - Age UK Memory Village | Preview (Channel 5)

In a special challenge to tie in with Dementia Awareness Week, Anneka and the team are constructing an entire ‘memory village’ from scratch for people with dementia.

Anneka’s big blue truck arrives in the Wirral as she takes on a monumental challenge, coming to the rescue of the staff at Age UK Wirral, who support people and their families suffering with this terrible disease.

Anneka’s task includes building seven shops, a village green, beautiful landscaping and an onsite cafe for carers to sit in and relax. And if that isn't enough, the team must also throw a party to celebrate its opening. All in just three days!

The team hit the phones and it's not long before the build gets off to a flying start with trades pouring in from all over the country. But it's clear that lack of materials is fast becoming an issue so Anneka is soon knocking on the doors of local firms to plead for drains and timber.

Back on site, the monumental scale of the build means it's all hands to the pumps and Anneka needs to find 30 people to dig a trench in order to keep the challenge on track - making the most of her nearby surroundings, she interrupts a local rugby team in training and convinces the lads and ladies to come to her aid.

Despite all of this, there is still the business of organising the grand opening party. Anneka goes out and about meeting some of the families who will benefit from the Dementia Village.

Despite not being able to communicate easily with some of the elderly people with dementia she finds common ground by breaking into song. Her mother used to sing My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean to her, and this song seems to strike a chord with everyone.

Again, memory is the key to making lives of those with this distressing illness more bearable. Even the builders back on site join in. Then the construction of the village falls seriously behind. Anneka needs 50 carpenters for the final day if they are to finish the project in time. But can she deliver?

With a flurry of late-night phone calls and extraordinary acts of charity and selflessness, it’s a race to the wire to see if one of Anneka’s biggest ever challenges be finished in time.

Challenge Anneka airs Sunday 14th May at 7:30pm on Channel 5.