Business Community raises £63,140 for Alzheimer’s in Chariots Dash

Cambridgeshire’s biggest charity event, Chariots of Fire, saw 340 local businesses enter teams to take part in the 1.6 mile relay race, raising an amazing £63,140 for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Over 2,000 people took part in the landmark race on 17th September 2017, setting off from Queens’ Green in Cambridge. Colin Jones, Managing Partner of Hewitsons, commented: ‘We are delighted that our determined runners have raised so much for such a worthy cause. Once again, it was a fun-packed family day with plenty of team spirit and friendly rivalry between local firms, and University colleges.’

Hewitsons Charitable Trust, which organises the Chariots of Fire race every year, handed a giant cheque for the total sum to the Alzheimer’s Research UK on Tuesday 6th February.

During the presentation, special thanks was given to ‘The Great Dames’, represented by Dame Carol Black. The Team, captained by Dame Mary Archer, raised an impressive £7,000.

All of the money donated will go to Alzheimer’s Research UK helping to fund its research efforts into the link between Down’s Syndrome and Dementia. 

The project is using state-of-the-art brain imaging technology at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus to explore why more than 50% of those living with Down’s syndrome in the UK go on to develop Alzheimer’s in their 50s.

Kenneth Foreman, Senior Sporting Events and Partnerships Manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We have been blown away by the support of not only the amazing runners who took on the race in September and helped us raise £63,000 but also everyone who made the day such a success from the organisers at Chariots of Fire to the volunteers who helped make the day possible. The funds raised from the day will be used to power vital research into dementia and the diseases that cause it to create a world free from the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia for future generations. Special thanks goes to Hewitsons Charitable Trust for making all of this possible.”

Team entries for this year’s race open online in May, at https://www.chariots-of-fire.co.uk/enter/