Dementia Support Line
Buzz Bingo marks massive milestone donation of over £500,000 for Alzheimer’s Society & Alzheimer Scotland
Alzheimer’s Society was delighted to join colleagues and customers of Buzz Bingo, the UK’s largest retail Bingo operator, on Saturday 15 June at a celebration event to mark having raised over £500,000 in the fight against dementia.
Taking place at Buzz Bingo Tooting in South London, Sinéad Donoghue, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Alzheimer’s Society, received the generous cheque from Buzz Bingo’s Chief Retail Officer Peter Brigden.
Buzz Bingo has raised the money from their dedicated Alzheimer’s Society Charity Game. Since March 2018, a donation on every ticket sold has been supporting Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland, enabling customers to play their favourite game while also generating vital funds for people affected by dementia.
With over £500,000 donated to Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland, Buzz Bingo has helped to fund community-based support for people with dementia across the whole of the UK. In England, Northern Ireland and Wales, twelve Alzheimer’s Society ‘Side by Side’ services have been funded, providing volunteer support to people with dementia to continue playing an active role in their community and doing activities they enjoy. In Scotland, the money has helped fund Dementia Resource Centres, providing advice, information, emotional support and social activities.
Alongside their Charity Game, Buzz Bingo colleagues unleashed their inner elf last December by participating in our national festive fundraiser Elf Day, and have run bake sales across their clubs. Beyond just fundraising, they have also begun rolling out Dementia Friends, committing to learning more about what it is like to live with dementia and turn that understanding into action – enabling Buzz Bingo staff to provide even better support to their vulnerable customers.
Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Society, said:
'We’d like to say a huge thank you for such a milestone donation from Buzz Bingo. Currently, there are 850,000 people in the UK with dementia, with many feeling isolated and alone. This invaluable donation will help fund our ‘Side By Side’ service, ensuring people with dementia can continue to play active roles in their community and do the things they love with the support of volunteers.'
Mike Smith, Buzz Bingo’s Operations Support Director added:
'We’re so pleased to reach this milestone of over £500,000 in donations for Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland, the UK’s leading dementia support and research charities. The Thank You event at our Tooting club was a real moment of celebration.'
