The Alzheimer’s Society has been announced as the official charity to the BMW PGA Championship, in a two-year deal which will see the UK’s leading dementia charity join the European Tour Foundation as beneficiaries of all charitable funds raised during the showpiece event which is being held at Wentworth Club in Surrey on September 19-23.
World Alzheimer’s Day will this year take place on Saturday September 21, coinciding with the third round of the tournament.
Funds raised from the Celebrity Pro-Am held on September 18, tournament programme sales, and the popular Totally Mega Putt Challenge located within the Championship Village, will help fund research that will have a life-changing impact for those living with dementia now and will help create a world without dementia in the future. Funds will also go towards challenging perceptions of dementia and improving and providing care and support, while selected local charities will benefit from funds raised through the European Tour Foundation.
“We are delighted to welcome Alzheimer’s Society as the Official Charity for the BMW PGA Championship,” said Jamie Birkmyre, the European Tour’s Championship Director for the event. “The work that they do across the UK is tremendous, supporting people affected by dementia and funding research into treatment and cures for of the UK’s biggest killer. With World Alzheimer’s Day taking place on the Saturday of our tournament, there could not be a better time to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Society as they try to achieve their vision of a world without dementia.”
Chris Colby, National Partnerships Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and this number is set to rise one million by 2021. Becoming the Official Charity to a tournament that has such prominence on the UK’s sporting calendar is a fantastic boost to the work we are doing at Alzheimer’s Society. We are honoured to be chosen alongside the European Tour Foundation as recipients of the charitable funds raised at Wentworth for the next two years, which will help us as we work tirelessly to find a cure for tomorrow and make sure everyone affected by dementia today can live the lives they choose and have somewhere to turn to for support.”