A JAZZ band's special gig to raise money for its former washboard player who contracted a devastating form of dementia raised thousands of pounds for research into the condition.

The Bagg's Tree Buskers played in Harwell Village Hall last month at an event organised by Di Baker, whose husband Tony has Lewy Body Dementia.

Mr Baker, a washboard and spoons player, was always the 'life of the party' until he developed the disease after which he 'completely changed'.

The event, which also featured awareness raising talks about the little-known condition, raised nearly £2,000 for the Lewy Body Society.

Mrs Baker said: "It went really well, it was a noisy and fun evening.

"We are still working out the final figure but it will be nearly £2,000."

Dementia with Lewy Bodies affects approximately 100,000 people in the UK and is the second most common form of dementia.

It shares symptoms, such as confusion and loss of memory, with Alzheimer’s disease.

The disease can also affect alertness, movement and sleep and can cause hallucinations and fainting spells.

It tends to develop slowly and gradually get worse over time.

Mrs Baker said it has different effects on her husband on different days, leaving him unable to walk or talk at the worst times.

He now lives in a specialist care home in Abingdon.

She added: “We cannot believe how quickly he changed."