Christmas carols for breakfast and balloons flying over Lloyd’s of London for dementia, it’s the Insurance Day of Giving 2022

By Vanessa Chance

Today, on Thursday 1 December, the insurance industry has come together once again to unite against Dementia. The Insurance Day of Giving is an annual event created by Insurance United Against Dementia (IUAD) to help raise awareness of the disease within the insurance community and raise funds for vital research.

This year, we started the day with a Christmas carol singalong at the offices of global insurance broker, WTW, who generously funded the booking of some professionals to sweeten the sound of our amateur efforts and laid on a festive spread of refreshments afterwards, all for a charitable donation to the cause.

We also saw a virtual balloon race taking place over Lloyd’s of London where you could sponsor a balloon for a donation to be in with a chance of a prize. Throughout the day there were all sorts of fundraising activities, from office bake sales, to sponsored bike rides, to CEOs making the tea for their teams.

IUAD is a partnership with Alzheimer’s Society that unites the insurance industry - bringing insurers, brokers and carriers together to fight dementia by funding research and support, raising awareness and changing perceptions across the sector. The campaign helps support people affected by dementia through fundraising for help today with vital support services, and hope for tomorrow through innovative research projects.

What is so special about this campaign is that so many different and competing elements come together for a great cause. The brokers are especially competitive in their attempts to outdo each other in fundraising and sporting prowess!

It’s been a great day, but the reason we do this is because Dementia is now the biggest killer in the UK and there is still no way to prevent, slow down or cure the condition. Alzheimer’s Society believe that 209,600 people will develop dementia this year – that’s 1 person every 3 minutes.

IUAD is fundraising for the vital support services that Alzheimer’s Society run, such as their brilliant Dementia Advisers, and funds crucial research into better diagnosis and treatments. So far, the campaign has raised £7m out of its £10m target. It is amazing what the industry can do when they come together. InsureTrek recently raised over £150,000 thanks to Peter Blanc at Aston Lark spearheading a group from Howden, A-Plan and Aston Lark to take on the Sahara. Last year, the Insurance Day of Giving raised an amazing £148,000 for vital services to help provide support for even more people affected by dementia. This was helped enormously by the generous matched funding from Zurich Community Trust, who have continued their support this year as well.

Like most people working in insurance, I didn’t choose this career path, but found myself in it one day and loving it. It is incredible what the industry can do when it works together like this. When we stand united, we can have a big impact.

On behalf of IUAD, thank you to all our supporters from the insurance industry, we are incredibly grateful. If you would like to get involved in IUAD or make a donation, please visit Insurance United Against Dementia | Alzheimer's Society (alzheimers.org.uk).