The monies raised through the three auctions will be split evenly between Age NI and Alzheimer’s Society – with each charity receiving £65,000. This includes a contribution by DNW, who donated 5% of the buyer’s premium (£6,141) to AIB’s two chosen charities.
As well as the funds raised through the auctions, AIB raised a further £24,000 through local branch fundraisers, with money donated by staff being match-funded by the bank. AIB also donated £1,000 to each of its 15 NI-based branches (£15,000), with each branch selecting its choice of charitable cause to receive the monies.
Commenting on the successful fundraising initiatives, Heather Stewart, Head of Sales & Service Enablement at AIB, said:
“We are delighted with the funds raised at the auctions of these rare banknotes, with the amount raised exceeding initial estimates and resulting in a significant amount of funds for two very worthy local charities – Age NI and Alzheimer’s Society. We are committed to supporting the Northern Ireland community and this initiative has enabled us to support these vital charities to continue to deliver important services to those most in need.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff who were responsible for driving charitable activities across our branches this year. Despite the challenging times we face, they have devoted enormous energy and dedication to raising funds for causes, at a time when this help is most needed.”
Thomasina Smith, Banknote Specialist at Dix Noonan Webb, commented: “Over the past year, we have enjoyed handling, cataloguing and learning from the Collection, which gave a fascinating insight into the printing processes and evolution of the Bank’s paper money before it ceased issuing in 2019. We would like to thank everyone at AIB for helping us organise this special event and for their generosity towards two exceptionally worthy causes.”
Bernadine McCrory, Country Director NI, Alzheimer’s Society, welcomed the AIB donation, saying:
“Coronavirus has had a major impact on people living with Dementia and the demand for our services has soared since lockdown began. For example, our Dementia Connect telephone hub service has received over 25,000 inbound calls from the start of lockdown until 21st September. At the same time, the Covid-19 crisis has, and will continue to have a major impact on our income streams. Given these challenging times, the support we have received from AIB is phenomenal and we are so grateful to everybody involved. This will go such a long way in making sure that the Alzheimer’s Society can be there for as many people affected by dementia as possible.”
Linda Robinson, Chief Executive, Age NI, added:
“We’d like to thank AIB for this generous donation which will enable us to respond to more older people detrimentally impacted by winter and Covid-19. AIB is playing a major role in helping us raise awareness that Age NI is here to help. We know this year has been hard on everyone but with strict rules on social distancing, and 78,000 older people living alone, many have been feeling very cut off and withdrawn. These funds will make such a significant difference to local older people, helping our advice and care services to be there for more older people who have no one else to turn to. If you or an older person you know is in need of help call 0808 808 7575.”
Heather Stewart from AIB is pictured with Tracy Smyth from the Alzheimer’s Society and Linda Robinson from Age NI.
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