Drop for dementia raises £14,500 for Alzheimer’s Society
Published 5 July 2011
A daredevil team of Santander employees raised a staggering £14,528 for charity by abseiling seven storeys down the Ramada Encore Hotel in Milton Keynes.
Peter Cahil-Shaw, Finance Director at the company who dressed up as Spiderman to complete his drop, said:
'I have never abseiled before, so I took on the task with a fair degree of trepidation. Colleagues at work suggested that I dress up, and this seemed like a great way to maximise fundraising. In the end I abseiled down as Spiderman, just after Superwoman made her way down!'
Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of Alzheimer's Society, said:'My mother-in-law has dementia and is in her fourth care home in two years, having progressed quickly through the various phases of the debilitating condition. I've seen first-hand how all-consuming and emotionally tough dementia can become not only for the sufferer, but also for the immediate family. This provided the spur for me to undertake the Drop for Dementia and support those living with the condition.'
-Ends-'I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part for their support of Alzheimer's Society. As a charity, we rely on the generosity of people like this to continue our vital work. Their fantastic efforts, along with fundraising by many of their colleagues at Santander, will help us champion the rights of people living with dementia and the millions of people who care for them.'
Notes to editors:
- Images available - contact press office for details
- There are 2003 people living in Milton Keynes with dementia today
- One in three people over 65 will die with dementia
- Alzheimer's Society research shows that 750,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer's disease. In just ten years a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051
- Alzheimer's Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and the millions of people who care for them
- Alzheimer's Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Alzheimer's Society supports people to live well with dementia today and funds research to find a cure for tomorrow. We rely on voluntary donations to continue our vital work. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting alzheimers.org.uk
- Alzheimer's Society provides a National Dementia Helpline, the number is 0845 300 0336 or visit alzheimers.org.uk
About Santander
- Santander is a retail and commercial bank, based in Spain. Founded in 1857, Santander has 90 million customers, around 14,000 branches - more than any other international bank - and over 170,000 employees.
- In the UK, Santander operates two retail businesses - Santander, which was formed out of the Abbey and Bradford & Bingley retail network, and Alliance & Leicester.
- Together they have over 1,300 branches, around 4,500 cash machines and they provide a full range of retail and corporate banking services to 24 million customers.
Santander Community
- Santander's Community activities feature employee fundraising campaigns which provide support to local and national charities including this year's Charity of the Year partner Alzheimer's Society.
- At the company's main office sites employees are involved in volunteering through initiatives such as the Community Days team challenge events and the Santander in Schools programme.
- The Santander Foundation provides donations to projects that support disadvantaged people through education and training, and financial advice projects. This year the Community programme will contribute over £6 million to good causes around the UK.
- For further information please contact the Santander team at Grayling on Santander@grayling.com or call Grant Richmond-Coggan/Nicola Clarke on 020 7932 1850
