Only seven months into its two-year partnership with Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group has raised £1m for the charities.

Lloyds Banking Group had initially set out a plan to raise £2m in two years, but after seven months into its two-year partnership with Alzheimer’s Society it has already reached half its original target through the fundraising of staff and customers.

The charity was voted for by the staff of Lloyds Banking Group, after being shortlisted with a number of other charities that allow for large-scale national partnerships, which, in a Meet the Funders interview for civilsociety.co.uk, the Lloyds Banking Group said is a priority in its charity partnerships.

The £1m will be spent on the charity’s ‘Live Well’ programme to support people with dementia and their carers. The programme will launch in over a 100 locations that will tackle issues like coping with challenging behaviour, communication and the legal and financial ramifications sufferers of dementia and their carers deal with.

Graham Lindsay, group director at Lloyds Banking Group attributed some of the success to the fact that “almost half of the population knows someone with dementia”.

“Thousands of colleagues spent quality time with customers, having a cup of tea… and a chat about their own personal experiences of dementia.” He said.

Janice Laird, a staff member at Lloyds Banking Group as its travel and venue administrator in London and who’s mother passed away with dementia in 2001 said: “It’s wonderful to know that the money we are raising is being spent helping other families just like mine.”