Press release -
Deloitte’s Charity Challenge raises £1 million
239 Deloitte staff, including 25 partners, took part in four challenges across four continents in June and July 2015, raising £1 million for its charity partners, Alzheimer’s Society, Mind and Prostate Cancer UK. The challenges included summiting Kilimanjaro, completing a tri-x in Borneo, climbing Mulhacén in mainland Spain and scaling one of the world’s most active volcanoes, Cotopaxi in Ecuador.
The £1 million target, reached yesterday, was raised by over 10,543 sponsors and includes over £250,000 matched funding by Deloitte, the largest the firm has ever provided. The Charity Challenge has been Deloitte’s biggest fundraising event to date and brings the total raised for its national charity partners to £2.5 million, exceeding the £2 million target set in 2013.
David Sproul, Deloitte chief executive and senior partner, said: “We are thrilled to have reached our £1 million target for the Charity Challenge and immensely proud of everyone who undertook extreme personal challenges to support Alzheimer’s Society, Prostate Cancer UK and Mind. The funds raised will have a huge impact in helping our charity partners to expand on the excellent work they are already doing across the UK.”
Over 600 people supported the participants with fundraising events held at Deloitte’s offices in the UK, including a ‘Deloitte Dances’ showcase judged by celebrity guest and Mind ambassador, Frankie Bridge. Seventy members of the Deloitte Knitters network also spent over 1,700 hours knitting 160 bobble hats for Charity Challenge participants.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, and Owen Sharp, chief executive of Prostate Cancer UK, all agreed: “Hitting the £1 million target through the Deloitte Charity Challenge is a fantastic result for the partnership so far and we’ve all been inspired by the energy and goodwill of Deloitte’s staff with their amazing fundraising efforts.
“We are incredibly proud of everything that’s been accomplished, from fundraising to pro bono support, and it’s exciting to think what we can achieve with Deloitte next year. Together, we will get vital support and services to thousands affected by dementia, mental health problems and prostate cancer.”
Deloitte are helping Alzheimer’s Society to fund eight Doctoral Training Centres across the UK to support 53 new pHD students and clinical fellows. Prostate Cancer UK is using the funds to run its awareness raising programmes across the country, engaging with men and women worried about prostate cancer. The funds will also help Mind answer an additional 24,000 calls though its Infoline and distribute more than 80,000 information booklets, allowing the charity to support people in need through their charity shops.
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Categories
- the charity challenge
- deloitte
Notes to Editors:
The Charity Challenge 2015 consisted of four challenges across four continents. Each participant took part in one of the challenges below:
Africa (24 June – 4 July) - summiting Kilimanjaro (Africa’s iconic and tallest peak, extreme altitude at 5,895m).
Asia (17 - 25 June) – Borneo Tri-X (two days trek up Mount Kinabalu, two days cycling, one day rafting).
Europe (25 – 28 June) – Sierra Nevada (conquering Mulhacén, the highest peak in mainland Spain).
South America (25 June – 4 July) – climbing Cotopaxi, Ecuador (one of the world’s most famous active volcanoes, extreme altitude at 5,897m).
About Deloitte
In this press release references to Deloitte are references to Deloitte LLP, which is among the country's leading professional services firms.
Deloitte LLP is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), a UK private company limited by guarantee, whose member firms are legally separate and independent entities. Please see www.deloitte.co.uk/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTTL and its member firms.
The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.
For more information, please visit www.deloitte.co.uk.
Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
About our charity partners:
Prostate Cancer UK
• Prostate Cancer UK works to get men in all areas of the country the early detection, effective diagnosis and better treatments that will beat this disease.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men.
• More than 10,000 men die every year from this male-only disease.
• 300,000 men are living with prostate cancer in the UK.
• Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer can contact Prostate Cancer UK's Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or via the online live chat, instant messaging service: www.prostatecanceruk.org. The Specialist Nurse phone service is free to landlines and open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday with late opening until 8pm on Wednesdays.
Mind
• We’re Mind, the mental health charity. We provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. We won't give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect. www.mind.org.uk.
• Please note that Mind is not an acronym and should be set in title case.
• Mind has a confidential information and support line, Mind Infoline, available on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am - 6pm, Monday – Friday).
• Please contact the Mind Media Team for interviews or further information on 02085221743. For out of hours support please call 07850788514 or email the media team on media@mind.org.uk.
• For access to a range of free images to accompany mental health news stories please visit: http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/getthepicture. These images have been developed by the anti-stigma campaign Time to Change, run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and funded by the Department of Health, Comic Relief and the Big Lottery Fund.
Alzheimer’s Society
• 225,000 will develop dementia this year, that’s one every three minutes.
• Alzheimer’s Society research shows that 850,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia. In less than 10 years a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to two million people by 2051.
• Dementia costs the UK economy over £26 billion per year. This is the equivalent of more than £30,000 per person with dementia.
• Alzheimer’s Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and the millions of people who care for them.
• Alzheimer’s Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• Alzheimer's Society supports people to live well with dementia today and funds research to find a cure for tomorrow. We rely on voluntary donations to continue our vital work. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting alzheimers.org.uk.
• Alzheimer’s Society provides a National Dementia Helpline, the number is 0300 222 11 22 or visit alzheimers.org.uk.
