Employees at the two UK Airbus sites in Filton and Broughton have walked, cycled, baked, climbed and dressed up to raise more than £260,000 for official charity partner Alzheimer’s Society.
The final figure was revealed at the end of the two-year partnership and Alzheimer’s Society will use the money raised to provide more local care and services to people living with Dementia. The charities that Airbus enter fundraising partnerships with are proposed and voted for by employees every two years.
In addition to the amount raised for Alzheimer’s Society, a further £160,000 was raised over the two year period for a range of charities of individuals’ choice.
UK Charity Partnership Manager Phil McGraa said:
“Once again, the teams at Filton and Broughton have worked flat out to raise impressive sums for good causes and I want to say a big thank you to everyone who made this possible.”
“What the total doesn’t reflect is the work done by Airbus employees to support people living with Alzheimer’s in the local communities through involvement days. These activities can vary from gardening to giving rooms a makeover and they really make a difference.”
Jeremy Hughes, Alzheimer’s Society CEO, said:
“A big thank you to everyone at Airbus for the fantastic partnership. You have embraced the partnership with Alzheimer’s Society in not just fundraising but helping to launch new dementia cafés in areas where we were previously inactive.”
Support services in the South West will be funded by the Airbus money. These included a sports and social club, memory cafés, support groups and dementia support which gives individuals information and signposting to services.
Dementia Support workers provide a life-changing service that helps people with dementia maintain their independence, improve their sense of well-being and take control of their own lives. Support workers meet and work with families to map out the care and support they need and are always at the end of the telephone. Airbus funds will help the Society continue to provide this service across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The funds will also support a PhD research project analysing how the immune system responds during Alzheimer’s disease. This will improve understanding of the complex pathways involved in the brain. This study will contribute important knowledge to identify new targets for treatments.
Well done. An inspiring effort and a great gift for others. This is what a community spirit is all about. I hope other local institutions will embrace this tradition of helping others. Makes one feel proud of being a Bristolian.