FTD Brothers say support they've had beyond anything they could imagine

Two brothers who are fundraising for dementia initiatives in memory of their mum said the support has been "truly overwhelming".

Jordan and Cian Adams, of Redditch, Worcestershire, have completed their challenge of running 33 marathons in 33 days across every county of Ireland, as well as the London Marathon.

Jordan Adams told BBC Breakfast their mother Geraldine, who died aged 52 after being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), is "at the centre of everything we do".

The brothers, who also have the rare gene that causes the condition, have now raised more than £1.9m of their £2m target via GoFundMe.

The pair, known as the FTD Brothers, have set up a foundation to support people living with dementia and to help fund research.

Half of the money raised will go to the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, where their mother's family is from.

Jordan, 31, said running the marathons and the reception was "a truly overwhelming time for us and I don't think it is going to sink in for a long, long time".

"The past six weeks, how it has unravelled and exploded, and the level of support that we've felt in person in Ireland, but also online, it's mad to think what we've achieved and, yes it's gone way beyond anything we could have ever imagined really, so very special."

Jordan's younger brother Cian added their "heads are still spinning" from everything that has happened.

The pair started their epic challenge at the London Marathon in April with Jordan carrying a fridge on his back for the entire 26.2 miles (42km) run.

Cian said the fridge had taken their story "viral", reaching people around the world.

He said the message of the fridge was open to interpretation to some extent but was mainly that being a carer of someone with dementia was "a heavy burden, it's an invisible burden".

He said they had lost 12 Irish relatives to the rare genetic disease "who all became symptomatic in their 40s".

People told them their own stories, which Cian said showed "how prevalent dementia is and it is something that kind of happens in the dark".

"The majority of caregivers are unpaid family members and I think the cruel nature of the condition means that people aren't always in the position to want to advocate, maybe after that person has passed or while they are caring," he said.

It was 10 years since their mother's death and they had "enough life energy" to tell the world about the condition, he said, and "are just glad that everyone is listening".

Jordan said their aim was to distribute money and put a spotlight on initiatives supporting welfare and research into dementia.

"We want to keep being a voice for those living with dementia and are devastated by it, and if we can get to £2m we would be overjoyed," he added.

Plans are being drawn up to hold a homecoming celebration for the brothers, who have "made Redditch proud", Matt Dormer, Redditch Borough Council's new leader has said.

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