£400,000 Birthday Boost For Alzheimer's Society

Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Article Date: 12 Jun 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Britannia Building Society wrapped up its best ever charity fundraising year with a £400,000 birthday boost to Alzheimer's Society.

Every two years Britannia staff vote for their corporate charity and teaming-up with Alzheimer's Society - celebrating its 30th birthday this year - proved a huge hit with Britannia staff and the mutual's members.

With many charities reporting funding shortfalls and increasing demand for their services, Britannia ran, cycled and jumped out of planes to reach its record donation. Through coffee mornings, concerts, car-washes and more - Britannia put the fun in fundraising.

From Arsenal to Sunderland AFC, Britannia's Peter Mansfield ran - in a gruelling 24 hours - one mile at each of the 13 football clubs Britannia has a partnership with. Eight staff - including Neville Richardson, Britannia's group chief executive, completed the Great North Run and, there was a staff talent show held at the Mitchell Memorial Theatre, Hanley, hosted by Richard McCourt - one half of TV's Dick and Dom.

The charity-tins filled-up further at last year's Leek show. Fred the Red - Manchester United's official club mascot - joined Leek's Derby Street branch to lend support to a football-themed fun day. A Christmas fair was held at Britannia's Newton House office and, the Society's Stoke branch dialed-up donations with more than 200 unwanted mobile phones handed over the counter by members of the local community.

A further boost came from Britannia's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in April. The Society once again pledged to donate at least 10 pence, for each vote cast, to its corporate charity. More than 450,000 Britannia members voted at this year's historic AGM - overwhelmingly supporting Britannia's merger with Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) and raising almost £57,000 for the charity.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of Alzheimer's Society, said,

'Alzheimer's Society is thrilled with the success of our partnership with Britannia. We have enjoyed reading about all the fun activities that have taken place across the country. The money raised - more than £400,000 - will help us fund care and support services and make a real difference to the lives of people affected by dementia.'

Bob Dixon, Britannia's national manager - branches, led Britannia's team of volunteer charity champions and added, 'I would like to say a massive thank you to staff, customers and members of the community who really dug deep to reach this fantastic total.

Our goal - raising £400,000 - was extremely ambitious, especially in the present economic climate. Exceeding this total is a superb achievement and testament to the energy, dedication and creativity of people here at Britannia. The whole Britannia team got behind this worthwhile cause and I really can't thank colleagues enough.'

Neil Hunt, added,

'There are 700,000 people with dementia in the UK with numbers set to rise to one million by 2025. The money raised by Britannia staff will help provide vital care for people with this devastating condition today and fund research to find a cure for tomorrow.'

About Alzheimer's Society

- 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 will die with dementia.
- 700,000 people have a form of dementia in the UK, more than half have Alzheimer's disease. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051.
- Dementia is not a natural part of ageing; it is caused by diseases of the brain and robs people of their lives.
- Alzheimer's Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and those who care for them. Alzheimer's Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Alzheimer's Society needs to raise money to care for people today and to find a cure for tomorrow. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/give

Source
Alzheimer's Society