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Royal London, the UK’s largest mutual life and pensions company, is pleased to announce that the Royal London Foundation’s first Degge & Ridge award has gone to the Tea Time Club, operated by the Corstorphine Dementia Project in north west Edinburgh.

Members of Royal London were asked to nominate causes which support the elderly in their local community for this annual £25,000 award. 

Stephen Shone, Executive sponsor of the Foundation, said:

“The Corstorphine Dementia Project’s Tea Time Club is an excellent example of people in a community funding, volunteering and using a service which provides a great support to sufferers of dementia and the people who support them.  I’m very pleased that the first Degge & Ridge Award winner will be able to use the money to help secure the financial future of the service the Project provides.”
 
Lesley Talbot, from Community Foundations Network (CFN), which administers the Foundation, said:
 
“CFN’s partnership with Royal London enables the company’s Foundation to deliver financial support to small grassroots charities which operate in local communities across the UK.
 
“The Corstorphine Dementia Project is a fantastic project that provides real benefits to the people it supports.  In turn, the Project has amazing support from the community, and ensuring it can continue the Tea Time Club is really important.”
 
The Tea Time Club has, until now, been funded entirely by the local community.  The Club provides activities to engage and stimulate participants.  One of the most important elements of the Club is the provision of supported transport to and from the club, which means those who are most isolated and vulnerable are able to take part.  The Project also encourages friends, family and carers of sufferers to attend the Club with them.  Supporting and caring for people with dementia is a very difficult task and services like this make a huge difference.
 
Being funded entirely from donations means the future of this widely used service is always uncertain, particularly in the current economic conditions.  The Degge & Ridge Award will enable the Corstorphine Dementia Project to run the service for two years, whilst continuing to raise funds for the future of the Tea Time Club.

For further information about the Foundation, standard grants and the Degge & Ridge Award, please visit www.royallondonfoundation.co.uk.
 
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For further information please contact:

Royal London
Alasdair Buchanan, Group Head of Communications    
0131 456 7133
 
Redleaf Polhill
Jenette Greenwood   
020 7566 6712
07867 503 553
 
Editor’s Notes:
 
The Royal London Foundation was launched in April 2011 in honour of our founders, Joseph Degge and Henry Ridge.  The aim of the Foundation is to help people in UK communities in which our members live, by providing grants to charities and projects our members support. The Foundation focuses on three core areas

• Education
  Causes whose objectives are to help develop the skills of people who require assistance and do not otherwise have access to appropriate support; 
• Elderly
  Causes which help older generations who require assistance in their daily lives
• Health
  Causes that provide health and fitness activities to those who might not otherwise have access to such facilities. Royal London Group is a specialist financial service provider. Its businesses focus on those sectors of the market which value quality propositions, operating through a number of brands:
  • Scottish Life – UK pensions market
  • Bright Grey – UK protection market
  • Scottish Provident – UK protection market
  • Caledonian Life – ROI protection market
  • Royal London 360° – offshore investment markets
  • RLAM – fund management
  • Royal London Plus – life and pensions administration
  • Ascentric/IFDL – Wrap Platform
  • MoneyVista – online financial planning service for consumers Royal London is the largest mutual life and pensions company in the UK with Group funds under management of £44.2 billion.  Group businesses serve around 4 million customers and employ 2,950 people.  Figures quoted are as at 30 September 2011.