College elves help raise nearly £2,000 for Alzheimer’s Society

They were among thousands of elves across the country who took part in Elf Day to help support people affected by dementia, who have been among the worst affected by coronavirus.

Students from the Chichester College Group’s (CCG) five West Sussex colleges – Brinsbury, Chichester, Crawley, Haywards Heath and Worthing – dressed up as elves and walked memory miles around each campus, baked cakes and had a generally elfie time and raised a fantastic £1,998.

Lisa Humphries, director of student services and pastoral support for the CCG, said: “Everyone out-elved themselves in support of Alzheimer’s Support.

“We were overwhelmed by the support everyone gave us, raising an incredible amount to kick-off our fundraising efforts for our chosen charity of the year.

“The elves really were out in force on all campuses, from making treats to sell to walking many memory miles and attending virtual workshops to find out more about dementia.

“The support our students and staff gave us was phenomenal, especially our student experience team who organised events at all of our colleges.”

The CCG will be fundraising for Alzheimer’s Society throughout the remainder of the academic year, with more events planned over the coming months, including Denim for Dementia. They will also be rolling out their Dementia Friends programme to all the students and staff.

Jess Hillicks, community fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society in West Sussex and Surrey, said: “It’s fantastic that Chichester College Group raised more than £1,800 by participating in Elf Day.

“We’re so grateful to them for getting involved. The coronavirus pandemic means people affected by dementia need our support more than ever.

“Alzheimer’s Society services, such as its Dementia Connect support line and Companion Call service have been used over 2.7 million times since March.

“Money raised will help us keep this essential support going. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who got into the festive spirit whilst helping to beat dementia.”

To donate to the CCG’s fundraiser visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ccg2021

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