A charity auction attended by England manager Gareth Southgate and hosted by TV presenter Hayley McQueen has raised £139,000 for Alzheimer’s Society at The Kia Oval on Monday night.
Held in the 175 Suite in the new Galadari Stand, the event kicked off fundraising activity for Alzheimer’s Society’s Sport United Against Dementia (SUAD) – an initiative that aims to increase awareness of available dementia support, make sports dementia friendly, and fund and support research into any links between sport and dementia.
“It seems barely a month passes before we hear of yet another person affected by dementia, whether from within the world of sport or our own families, so it’s clear that the condition is a big issue of our time,” Southgate said.
“The FA’s partnership with Alzheimer’s Society and its Sport United Against Dementia campaign to tackle dementia, are so important and have launched at a critical time. People with dementia have been worst hit by coronavirus and they don’t know where to turn for support.
Prizes included a game of cricket at Lord’s with Kumar Sangakkara; a Michelin-starred dinner experience with England rugby legend Mike Tindall, and a weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix hosted by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Every item was donated meaning 100 per cent of the successful bid price was donated to Alzheimer’s Society.
Funds raised will help to increase capacity of Alzheimer’s Society’s urgently needed support services so the charity can reach even more people. There has been a huge demand for Alzheimer’s Society’s services after people with dementia have been severely hit by the pandemic.
