Dame Mary Archer To Visit Alzheimer’s Research UK To Open New Offices

Dame Mary Archer will visit Alzheimer’s Research UK on Wednesday 30 April to officially open the charity’s new offices on Granta Park, Great Abington. The former chairman of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who lives in Grantchester, Cambridge, will cut a ribbon to mark the occasion and make a short speech.

The UK’s leading dementia research charity moved from its former offices in Great Shelford last year and is holding the special day to recognise the move, to mark being named Charity Times’ Charity of the Year and to celebrate its 21st anniversary.

Alzheimer’s Research UK is currently going through a period of significant growth, increasing both the number of research projects it supports and its staff base. The charity is investing nearly £21m across 121 projects at centres of dementia research excellence across the UK.

The relocation has provided the perfect base for the charity to continue to expand its team in specific areas of expertise to help achieve major ambitions in dementia research.

Dame Mary, who helped launch the charity in 1993 – then known as Alzheimer’s Research Trust – will join former and current Trustees at this special occasion. Speaking ahead of the visit, Dame Mary Archer, said:

“It’s a pleasure to be supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK once again. The charity has changed incredibly since I was first introduced to it and I am looking forward to hearing more about the organisation’s recent successes and plans for the future as it marks its 21st year.

“Dementia is a truly devastating condition which is affecting more and more individuals and families. Alzheimer’s Research UK is dedicated to finding the answers to our greatest health challenge and it is inspiring to know that so much work to make that happen is taking place right here in Cambridge.”

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Dame Mary to our offices. This event marks a milestone in Alzheimer’s Research UK’s history where we broke records for research investment and fundraising and became one of the UK’s top 10 medical research charities as well as the Charity Times’ Charity of the Year.

“This is fantastic progress but it is just the beginning of our bold ambitions. There are still no new treatments that act against the disease processes that cause dementia; we must change that. Our new research developments, including our Drug Discovery Institute, are just the start of our plans to do this. Our aim is to put treatments into the hands of people with dementia as soon as possible.”