Elior has pledged to raise £100,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society by the end of 2024. Less than a year into the partnership, Elior has raised £36,000 which positions the contract caterer ahead of target. The charity dinner, raising £13,000 alone, is one of a sequence of Elior’s fundraising events with further activities already being planned for 2023.

The charity dinner was supported by leading female chefs: Sarah Hayward, Romy Gill MBE, and Claire Clark. Each chef designed a course for the menu which was re-recreated and served by Elior’s in-house chef team, including its Chef Academy apprentices.

BBC broadcaster and journalist Angela Rippon has supported the Alzheimer’s Society for a number of years as an ambassador and spoke about her own family experiences with dementia. The evening also included a moving Q&A with Dianne Campbell who recounted her journey living with dementia, raising awareness of the health signs and support that is available to help people to live well.

The evening closed with a live auction with prizes including: a 5* stay for two at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh and boutique spa hotel The Cary Arms & Spa, Torquay, Devon; Six Nations hospitality experience for two for Scotland v Italy at BT Murrayfield and a bespoke private chef experience for 10 guests with Peter Joyner, food development director and team manager of Craft Guild of Chefs Culinary Team.

Elior’s CEO Catherine Roe (pictured above with Angela Rippon) commented: “Our commitment to the Alzheimer’s Society is incredibly important to me and I’m delighted we are well on our way to our 3-year target of £100,000 to support the wonderful work that the Alzheimer’s Society does.

“Thank you to everyone that made this an incredibly successful and enjoyable evening and to all our Elior colleagues who continue to make a difference through their various fundraising efforts.”

Elior has also committed to Dementia Friends training for every colleague and has so far trained over 50% of its support services. A Dementia Friend is somebody that learns about dementia so they can help their community. Dementia Friends training raises awareness and understanding of how individuals are impacted by Alzheimer’s, so that people living with dementia can continue to live in the way they want after a diagnosis.