What a year it has been with the Alzheimer’s Society, our nominated Charity of the Year for 2023-2024. A massive thank you to all our amazing colleagues at GatenbySanderson who chose this charity and have contributed to our great year in partnership with them. So far we have exceeded our target and raised £5,186!
The number of people living with dementia in the UK is set to rise to 1 million by 2025. It is now the UK’s biggest killer. Charities like the Alzheimer’s Society’s work, research and support is vital. Now more than ever, it is important that we continue to support them through donations and fundraising to further assist the cause. Read more about it here.
We took part in a range of activities that began in April of 2023. We kicked off with an introduction into our year with Holly Quinn, who manages corporate partnerships at the Alzheimer’s Society. She spoke to us about the work that the Society has done in the past and continues to do, as well as the range of activities we would be taking part in throughout the year to help them.
Dementia Action Week
During Dementia Action Week in May, we spoke with Michael, who is an Ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society. He got involved with the Society after his diagnosis.
He gave a really powerful and inspiring talk to the GatenbySanderson team, sharing his story with dementia, his symptoms, getting his diagnosis, the support he received and how he coped on his own after the diagnosis. He also shared his career as a truck driver and how this was impacted as well as the support he received from the charity. We were grateful to hear of his first-hand experience, highlighting the impact that the Alzheimer’s Society has on individuals.
Stockholm marathon
On Saturday the 3rd of June, our colleague Scarlett Lee ran the Stockholm Marathon with her Dad and Sister. Their strength and dedication helped us raise £990 towards our target.
Yorkshire Three Peaks
On the 8th of July we had a team of colleagues complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge – 24 miles, 5000ft of elevation, circa 55,000 steps and over £3,000 raised for the charity in well under 12 hours! A massive well done to all those involved.
On a lovely day in early July, myself and 11 colleagues set-out to tackle the Yorkshire Three Peaks of Pen-Y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, taking on this classic route with the highest peak in the middle. Throughout the day the weather held – not too warm, but with a lovely sunny evening as we finished. We all completed the challenge well within the 12-hour target, with myself and our (much younger) intern Logan striding ahead towards the end to finish just inside 11 hours. But, it was never about the time but the challenge of getting round, and the great camaraderie and experience spent with colleagues within beautiful surroundings.”
Phil Emms, Principal Consultant, Local Government
Virtual Miles Challenge
In September we ran our Virtual Miles Challenge, where we had 38 colleagues split into groups aiming to walk at least 421 miles to raise funds and commemorate Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.
Ellie Masters-Gregory, Co-Chair of our CSR team said: “We were really pleased with the engagement in our steps challenge where we had people from across the business, no matter what fitness level, taking part virtually in a mini competition to get around our offices. It was a great initiative to get people out and about during their lunchbreaks and evenings, a time for reflection as well as a way to engage with people we don’t usually work with.”
It was great to have colleagues connecting from all over the country and getting active!
London Landmarks Half Marathon
We recently had Tessa Kinsella, Co-chair of our CSR team run the London Landmarks Half Marathon.
Tessa said: “The partnership with Alzheimer’s Society this past year has been an absolute pleasure to be involved in, I nominated the charity as alongside many others, I had a close personal connection, with my lovely grandad John having suffered with the terrible disease for many years. The support it received from around the business just shows how much it resonates and affects so many people around the world, and I would like to thank everyone who has taken part in events, fundraised, attended talks and donated to AS this past year to fight for a cure and support all of those who are currently suffering.
This past Sunday, I completed my first ever race running the London Landmarks Half Marathon on behalf of Alzheimer’s Society. Crossing the finish line felt like closing the chapter on a very exciting year of fundraising and the success of hitting our 5k target. I would also like to thank Holly and the team at Alzheimer’s society for all their support over the past year and for the opportunities that have provided to help us reach our goal.”
Tessa Kinsella, Co-chair CSR team
As it stands, we have raised £5,186 for the charity (Team page) as well as £1,035.25 Gift Aid but that’s not the end of our work with the Alzheimer’s Society. We recently had Tessa Kinsella run the London Landmark Half Marathon, raising an additional £400 +97.50 gift aid. Also, postponed to next year due to injury, we have Paul running the London Marathon (donation link) so we expect to raise over £6,000 in total.
A massive thank you to all those who were involved in this journey. At GatenbySanderson, we’re committed to diversity and inclusion within the workplace, and to creating a safer, more comfortable environment for all. We will continue the work of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Group, partnering with organisations to drive positive change and create a better future.
An announcement of our newly nominated Charity of the Year will be coming soon.