New dementia support post created thanks to amazing fundraising efforts of Airbus employees

Employees at Broughton’s Airbus site along with colleagues at Airbus’ other UK site Filton have been busy walking, cycling, baking, climbing and dressing 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. 

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• Charity Partner receives more than £¼ million from Airbus in the UK
• Total employee fundraising for good causes exceeds £420,000 over two years

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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.

“We were delighted to welcome Lord Barry Jones and Lady Jones to Broughton for the official celebration of the final charity partnership total. In his role as Dementia Champion for Wales, he has been a great supporter of our fundraising activities and even recognised the efforts of Airbus employees during a speech on Dementia in the House of Lords.”

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”

In North Wales, the money raised by Airbus has enabled the Society to create a new Dementia Support post. This will help the Society reach more people living dementia and their carers, and also help provide more groups and services. See back page for information about Flintshire’s first Memory Café.

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.

Main photograph: The society’s Flintshire President Lord Barry Jones and his wife Lady Janet Jones, centre; are front from left: Paul McKinlay, Head of Broughton plant; Bethan Wood and Jacky Baldini, Alzheimer’s Society; Airbus’s Debbie Crawford and Phil McGraa, UK Charity Partnership Manager