Santander to donate £1 per cycle hire during National Dementia Action Week
Howard Lake | 20 May 2019 | News
Santander is supporting its partner Alzheimer’s Society during National Dementia Action Week by donating £1 to it for each of the first 40,000 Santander Cycle hires made during the week.
National Dementia Action Week runs from 20 to 26 May 2019 and is designed to raise awareness and funds to improve the lives of people living with dementia.
In addition to the donations, 100 Santander Cycles will feature bespoke livery to highlight the campaign and spread awareness across London.
The Bank will also host dementia advice gazebo in Triton Square, London.
Static bike challenge
Cyclists will be able to support the charity by staying in one place: Santander is encouraging people to participate in a static bike challenge which will take place outside their offices in Triton Square on Monday 20 May.
The aim of the challenge is to promote awareness and encourage donations for Alzheimer’s Society, with all participants receiving Forget-Me-Not pin badges, showing support for uniting against dementia.
In addition to the static bikes in Triton Square, a team from Alzheimer’s Society will be on hand to provide information about dementia and its impact on individuals and their families. There will also be specialists available to provide private one-to-one dementia support for those who are facing the condition in their own lives.
Nathan Bostock, CEO of Santander UK, said: “We’re proud to participate in Dementia Action Week and harness the power of the Santander Cycles scheme to help raise awareness and take action against dementia. We would encourage anyone in London to hop on to a Santander Cycle to help raise funds or to come along to our static bike challenge and learn about what they can do to support people with dementia as we continue to work with Alzheimer’s Society to help people living with dementia to be financially included, independent and empowered.”
Will Norman, Walking and Cycling commissioner, welcomed the partnership, commenting that : “people who cycle regularly can reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s by up to 30 per cent. I am sure Londoners will get on their bikes to support this valuable cause.”
Staff vote
Santander chose Alzheimer’s Society as its national Charity Partner for 2019-2021, following a selection process which included a vote by thousands of Santander staff across the UK.
The focus of the partnership is on working together to improve financial inclusion and help those within our communities who may struggle to cope with new technology, as well as employee fundraising activities and volunteering.
The bank and charity are combining their respective areas of expertise, to establish joint strategic initiatives that will improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia. Santander’s ambition is to become the best digital dementia friendly bank in the UK.
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Santander Cycles
The Santander Cycles scheme has 770 docking stations, covering 100 square kilometres of London. Since the scheme launched, more than 80 million hires have been made and 2018 saw another record-breaking year, with more than 10.5 million journeys made.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.