Bupa chooses Age UK as charity partner

Bupa chooses Age UK as UK-wide Strategic Charity Partner

Age UK has been chosen as Bupa's strategic charity partner in the UK, integrating activity throughout all aspects of the Bupa UK business, engaging employees to customers and beyond. The healthcare specialist and its over 32,000 employees will be raising funds and volunteering for Age UK with the aim of raising £1m over the next two years to support thousands of older people across the UK.

Funds raised through the partnership will enable Age UK and its network of local partners to support and empower older people to live well and age well. The funding will go towards Information & Advice services, Age UK's Call in Time telephone friendship service where Bupa staff will also volunteer and a number of local wellness programmes such as lunch clubs, exercise classes and befriending schemes through the Age UK network in England, Wales*, Scotland* and Northern Ireland*.

Laurie Boult, Head of Fundraising at Age UK said: ‘We're delighted to have been chosen by Bupa as their first UK-wide charity partner.  Bupa's purpose of longer, healthier, happier lives really resonates with Age UK and our vision, so that's why we're working in partnership to help more people to love later life.

Richard Bowden, Managing Director at Bupa UK comments: ‘We are very excited to be working with Age UK to help improve the lives of older people. The fit between our organisations is perfect and through our partnership we want to engage our people, customers and wider society to feel positive about ageing - because with the right planning and support everyone should be able to age well. We're ambitious for our partnership, aiming to raise £1million over the next two years.'

The partnership will see Bupa's employees around the UK raising vital funds for Age UK and volunteering for the Charity through various fundraising initiatives such as the Charity's 10k and 2k series of running events, Age UK and innocent's Big Knit and Age UK's The Big Chinwag.

Laurie Boult continued ‘With the number of people over 85 set to double in the next 20 years [1], the need to address issues affecting people in later life is more important now than ever. It's a sad fact for example that one million [2] older people go a month or longer without speaking to anyone they know so together, through the funds that we raise, we'll be transforming the health and wellbeing of thousands of older people and addressing issues like this - we can't wait to get started.'

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Ref: SKLBHLSMIDSKLBIMCA * Funds raised will go to respective Charities: Age Cymru, Age Scotland and Age Northern Ireland Media contacts: For more information please contact Karen Richards at Age UK on 020 3033 1428 or email Karen.Richards@ageuk.org.uk or Marilena Luxmoore on 020 3033 120 or email Marilena.Luxmoore@ageuk.org.uk.

Notes to editors 1 Mid-2012 based population projections, ONS 2014. 2 Loneliness, Social Isolation and Living Alone in Later Life, C. Victor et al., 2003, and Mid-2012 population estimates for the UK, Office for National Statistics, 2013.

About Bupa and Age UK's partnership Bupa and Age UK are working together to raise £1 million and empower people to live and age well.

Fundraising and volunteering will support Information & Advice services, Age UK's Call in Time telephone friendship service and a number of local wellness programmes such as lunch clubs, exercise classes and befriending schemes through the Age UK network in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Bupa has previously supported charities such as Diabetes UK and Alzheimer's Society through the Bupa Great Run series. In contrast, this new partnership will integrate across all aspects of Bupa UK from employees to customers and beyond.