A record breaking sum of money has been raised by Reading Buses, their employees and customers, for Alzheimer’s Society.

A mammoth £13,750.61 was revealed to a group of representatives from the charity at a wrap-up event today (Tuesday January 12).

The total, for Reading Buses seventh charity of the year, towers above last year’s £9,500 for Launchpad which was then itself a record sum. 

At the company’s Great Knollys Street depot, Chief Executive Officer Martijn Gilbert described 2015 as an ‘amazing year’ when employees and customers had really got behind the charity.

He said one of the prime aims was to raise more than £10,000 for the first time.

“Thanks to our wonderful employees and customers we have achieved that.

“We have had lots of colleagues engaged in feats of endurance to test themselves and raise money for the charity in the process,” he told the society.
 
The main fundraising effort was the now famous Reading Buses Open Day which in 2015 raised a record £6,000.
 
Mr. Gilbert praised the company’s generous sponsors, Ticketer, Alexander Dennis, Wright Bus, Tilehurst Village Butchers, Best Impression and Glitter and Sparkles who had all played a significant part in the achievement.
 
The Chief Executive Officer also paid tribute to the volunteers who worked hard on the day to make the event such a huge success.
 
Said Reading Buses HR Director Caroline Anscombe:  “The open day has been supplemented by lots of fundraising activities by the employees of Reading buses. 
 
“These have been wide and varied, from our control room team taking on various challenges, to our driving staff running, cycling and organising a charity football tournament.
 
“Coupled with our support staff wearing Christmas jumpers and engineers doing a spot of ‘rust rallying,’ everyone has really engaged with Alzheimer’s to take things even further than before.”
 
She added:  “The figure of nearly £14,000 will go a long way to helping the local branch of Alzheimer’s Society who estimate that their support services in Reading need around £75,000 a year to continue. 
 
“Reading Buses wish Alzheimer’s Society all the very best for the future and hope that the generosity of the people of Reading continues to help fund this amazing charity.”
 
Linda Barnes, Alzheimer’s Society Operations Manager for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support Reading Buses have given us at Alzheimer’s Society over the past year – it’s been a fantastic partnership. 

“Not only have they raised thousands of pounds for us, but they’ve really helped to raise awareness of dementia and the support that is available in the wider Berkshire area by wrapping one of their buses with support information. 

“It’s been brilliant to work with Reading Buses and without the time and energy Reading Buses put into their fundraising and awareness raising for us, it would not have been as successful as it was.”

She added:  “As a charity, we rely on the generosity of individuals and companies like Reading Buses to help us support people to live well with dementia today and fund research to find a cure for tomorrow.”