PETS at Home in Chesterway has helped raise more than £50,000 for The Alzheimer’s Society.

The company has partnered with the UK’s leading dementia charity to improve the in-store experience for customers living with the illness.

Over the course of Dementia Action Week, staff and customers in Northwich and across the country raised more than £50,000 for Alzheimer’s Society, through sales of pin badges, ‘round to a pound’ and activities including bake sales.

The money raised will be used towards supporting the work of Alzheimer’s Society to provide information and support, fund research, campaign to improve care and create lasting change for people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Store manager Vanessa Gee said: “The team and I in Northwich would like to say a massive thank you to all of our customers for their support with the campaign and their generous donations towards Alzheimer’s Society.

“Following the Dementia Friends training, our team will be more confident in assisting customers exhibiting behaviours commonly associated with the condition, and we really hope that customers and families who are affected by dementia will feel welcomed and comfortable whilst shopping in our store.”

Emma Bould, programme partnerships manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Everyone at Alzheimer’s Society would like to say a huge thank you the colleagues and customers at Pets at Home for their invaluable donations.

”In the UK, one person develops dementia every three minutes and almost everyone knows someone whose life has been affected. Yet too many people face the condition alone, without adequate support.

"At Alzheimer’s Society we are determined to change this, as it is vital that people living with dementia feel included in their local community and able to live the lives they want.

"Something as simple as store colleagues, as well as other customers, being a bit more patient will make a huge difference to the day to day lives of people living with dementia.”

More than 2.4 million people in the UK have become Dementia Friends since the launch of the initiative.

dementiafriends.org.uk