Carrier bag funds to beat dementia
9 Nov 2015 by qwwqdccwwm.d qwwqdccwwm.d
UK supermarkets Iceland, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose have announced that funds from the new levy on single-use carrier bags will support the construction of a new Dementia Research Centre at UCL.
UK supermarkets Iceland, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose have announced that funds from the new levy on single-use carrier bags will support the construction of a new Dementia Research Centre at UCL.
The £350 million centre is currently experiencing a shortfall in funding of £100 million and the funds expected to be generated by carrier bag sales from UK food retailers have the potential to bridge the gap.
Professor Nick Fox, Director of the UCL Dementia Research Centre, said: “Dementia already devastates the lives of far too many families across Britain – we urgently need to find more effective ways to prevent, delay or treat the diseases that cause it. There are real prospects for progress if we bring together the most able scientists and clinicians and support them in their research. This remarkable initiative by some of the UK’s leading supermarkets could make a real difference to accelerating that research.”
Initial estimations indicate the project could raise £20 million in the first year, depending on carrier bag sales patterns. UK food retailers will not take any overheads meaning that 100% of the funds will be going to dementia research.
“Dementia is the greatest scientific, medical and socio-economic challenge of our times and affects more than 35 million people worldwide. UCL, through its translational neuroscience at Queen Square, can bring the breadth and depth of expertise required to deliver therapeutic advances to this devastating condition. Philanthropy has made a huge difference in tackling global diseases such as cancer and malaria and this unprecedented initiative sees UK retailers acting collaboratively to tackle the tragedy that is dementia and neurodegenerative diseases,” said Professor Alan Thompson, Dean of the UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences.
The new centre will bring together scientists across UCL and UCLH to lead research in effective treatments and ways to improve the lives of those suffering from dementia.
The Chief Executives of Iceland, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose are urging the CEOs of all UK food retailers to get involved in the partnership.