Westerleigh Group has extended its partnership with specialist dementia nursing charity Dementia UK, pledging to raise £160,000 for the charity on top of the £140,000 it has raised over the past year.

Westerleigh Group named Dementia UK as its corporate charity partner for 2023 with the aim of raising £120,000, a figure which it is proud to have exceeded.

It will now continue to support Dementia UK in 2024, with the aim of donating a total of £300,000 over the two years.

Westerleigh Group is one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of cemeteries and crematoria, with 40 sites in England, Scotland, and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.

Last year, some of the donations were raised through Westerleigh Group’s metal recycling scheme; with the consent of families, metals recovered during cremation are recycled, and any money raised is used to support charities and other organisations and causes which make a positive difference to local communities.

Other contributions came from fundraising efforts from the group’s teams nationwide who took to the skies for a skydive, held events such as ceilidh and gave their all during charity sport challenges which included a park run and a football match.

More donations were collected at other events and memorial services, such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas, and a memorial contribution initiative, where Westerleigh Group made a donation of between £50 and £150 for every memorial purchased during September 2023 (at no extra cost to the family).

Debbie Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Westerleigh Group, said: “We feel privileged and proud to be able to continue our support for Dementia UK, an organisation which shares our core values of providing exceptional care and support to families.

“Every three minutes someone in the UK develops dementia, so the charity’s vital support is needed more than ever.

“In 2023, we managed to exceed the fund-raising target we set ourselves and this money is now funding two Admiral Nurses.

“Hopefully we can do the same again this time round which will help bring vital support and comfort to families all over the country, just as we at Westerleigh Group aim to do every day.”

Dementia UK’s Chief Admiral Nurse and CEO Dr Hilda Hayo said: “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with Westerleigh.

“Their fantastic fundraising efforts have helped ensure we can reach even more people affected by dementia through our specialist Admiral Nurses, national Helpline and clinics. Westerleigh’s commitment to the partnership has been brilliant, with staff taking on a number of challenges and exceeding their initial target.

“We are grateful for their invaluable support and are looking forward to another year of working together.”

Find out more about Westerleigh Group’s community support here www.westerleighgroup.co.uk/community-support