Partnership with The Access Group raises almost £1m
Parkinson’s UK was chosen as The Access Group's charity of the year in the UK for 2022/2023.
The past 12 months have been busy for The Access Group. From skydives to sporting challenges and a glamorous gala ball, they have taken part in a huge raft of fundraising events to raise awareness of Parkinson’s.
Parkinson's UK was nominated to be the company's charity of the year by 2 employees who had experienced first-hand the impact the condition has on people and their families.
Throughout the year, a combination of employee fundraising, match-funding by the business and grants from The Access Foundation saw an incredible total of £995,201 donated to the charity. This funding will go to support our ongoing work to drive forward research and help fund new nursing posts around the UK.
Caroline Rassell, Chief Executive of Parkinson’s UK, said:
"We are incredibly grateful to The Access Group for their generous donation. Over the past year, they have taken on some inspiring fundraising challenges, from skydives to mammoth treks, all rallying together to raise funds for people living with Parkinson’s.
"We depend on donations from organisations like Access to fund our work and thanks to this generous £1m donation, Parkinson’s UK will be able to invest more money into funding new nurse posts around the country that play a vital role in giving expert care to people with Parkinson’s."
An overwhelming response
Fraser Graham and Natalie Giles-Grant nominated Parkinson’s UK to be the charity of the year in the UK after their fathers had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. They have been overwhelmed by the response from their colleagues.
Natalie said: "Wow, what a year! When I got the call to let me know that Parkinson’s UK had been selected as our charity of the year in the UK, I could have never imagined how big a success it would be.
"We have smashed all our fundraising targets, thanks to our employees in the UK, and this donation is going to help change so many lives of families like mine and Fraser’s who have been so touched by everyone’s efforts this year."
Fraser said: "The giving back culture at Access is like no other. It has been a truly humbling experience due to my close connection to Parkinson’s and I can’t put into words how much the money raised will help families through delivering support of key information, funding nurses, and most importantly research into groundbreaking new treatments. All of which we have benefited from as a family.
"A massive thank you to everyone at Access who raised money for Parkinson’s UK this year, big or small and The Access Group for matching every penny raised."