Living with dementia June 2009

From taking part in triathlons to donating profits from tuck shops, thousands of people support the Society every year by helping us raise money for our cause. Here are just a few of our supporters.

Britannia Building Society
Last year, staff at Britannia Building Society voted for Alzheimer's Society to be their chosen charity of the year as part of a charity partnership. As a result of their efforts, Britannia has raised an incredible £400,000 for the Society.

Bob Dixon, National Sales Manager at Britannia, says,

'I'm extremely proud of the partnership's success. Since launching it in April 2008 we have seen an incredible amount of support from both our staff and members.

'Our first event was a 'red and white' theme day to coincide with St George's Day. People paid £1 to dress down in red and white and raised hundreds of pounds. Other easy ways we raised money included having cake sales, pub quizzes, fancy dress events, car washes and talent contests.

'The most memorable of all would have to be the 'Men that do' calendar featuring some of Britannia's senior management in their birthday suits. We raised £400,000 for the Society last year through these events, which had the added benefit of raising awareness of dementia amongst our staff and members.'

Hugh Morgan
Committed supporter Hugh Morgan has raised almost £70,000 for the Society through sponsorship for completing two triathlons. He says,

'In April 1998 I made a pact with a friend that I would take part in the London Triathlon later that year. It proved a defining moment for a number of reasons, among them an opportunity to take advantage of some very generous people I'd worked with in the city and raise money for a charity about which I felt particularly strongly.

I decided to treat the tenth anniversary of my first triathlon as an opportunity to revisit previous supporters in a renewed effort to support the Society. The ten years since my original effort had impressed upon me the growing need to support the charity.

I was truly fortunate to receive the support I did and, whilst I may have been a catalyst for it, the generosity of those who chose to sponsor me is of course what really counts.'

Pennthorpe pupils
Schoolboys at Pennthorpe Preparatory School in East Sussex have so far netted more than £500 for the Society after setting themselves a challenge of raising £1,500. The six year eight boys came up with the idea after hearing about Alzheimer's disease in the media.

The young fundraisers are tempting fellow pupils to part with their pocket money by running a tuck shop at break times. They also organised a giant Easter egg raffle in April. The school is also backing the boys' efforts by sponsoring all year eight pupils to achieve top results in their forthcoming exams: 50 pence for every top effort grade in any subject and £1 for every 'A' grade in the exams.

Rupert Harrison, one of the fundraisers, says,

'Alzheimer's is such a terrible disease. There's no cure and it's very hard on carers. They need help.'

Headmaster Simon Moll said,

'I'm hoping this is going to cost the school a goodly sum of money!'

Des Strode
Volunteer Des Strode has raised many thousands of pounds over the years fundraising for the Society's Swansea branch. The collection days he organises raise up to £8,000 each year and involve collections in Swansea City Centre and at all the city's main supermarkets.

Des, 68, has been a volunteer and committee member for more than ten years. He is involved in most of the activities of the branch, and is currently organising the Memory Walk. Des says,

'I'm privileged to be able to raise money to help people with dementia and their carers.'

Richard Dunwoody
Richard Dunwoody, one of Britain's most successful and well known jockeys, has embarked on a rare challenge to raise money for the Society and a number of other charities.

Following in the footsteps of a certain Captain Barclay, who undertook exactly the same challenge two centuries ago, Richard is currently walking 1,000 miles in 1,000 consecutive hours; the equivalent of walking from London to Lisbon. This walk, however, will not feature much changing scenery, as Richard will be doing exactly the same mile in Newmarket. It will take him 42 days and nights with limited sleep.

Richard says,

'42 days with very little sleep could drive me to breaking point, but we've set ourselves an ambitious fundraising target and that's what this challenge is about.'

Richard's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last year, aged 89, and his mother is caring for him at home. Richard says,

'The main reason I'm doing this challenge is to make people aware about Alzheimer's Society.'

Richard began his challenge on 29 May, and is due to finish on 10 July. He says,

'I've got a great support team from the Race Walking Association who will be monitoring and timing me for every mile 24 hours a day. I'm drinking and eating as many calories as I can. It's very different to my normal life.'

In 1809, Captain Robert Barclay Allardice was bet that he couldn't walk 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours for 1,000 guineas. He started out on 31 May and completed his adventure on 12 July. The feat made headline news across England as an athletic event that challenged the very limits of human capability.

Roger Eastoe
Alzheimer's Society Ambassador Roger Eastoe has supported the charity since 2007. Former Managing Director of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People, Roger now runs his own marketing consultancy. He supports the Society by offering advice on how we can maximise our charitable opportunities.

Roger says,

'I've always supported charities at one level or another. It's good to give back and help where you can, whether financially, or through what you know, who you know and/or where you may have a level of influence.

'Two years ago I promised to work with the Society for a few years and it's been a delight to see some of the ideas and contacts I have introduced to them start to make a difference both financially and strategically. Seeing a number of those things start to bear fruit keeps me committed.'

Find out how you can start fundraising today