The generosity of a retired dentist has given the Alzheimer鈥檚 Society a million reasons to smile after making a huge donation in memory of his late wife.
Malcolm Joyce handed a cheque for 拢1m to the Society 鈥� one of the largest the charity has received from a single donor in its 37-year history. Nearly half of this money will fund the at the University. Another training centre in Bradford will also benefit.
The Southampton Centre was established in 2015 to investigate topics around the theme of enabling risk for people with dementia 鈥� an under-researched area within dementia care. The Centre draws on expertise from Health Sciences, Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences and Medicine and is one of eight centres of excellence across the UK.
Malcolm鈥檚 gesture comes just one year after the death of his wife Jean, who battled dementia in the final years of their marriage. Charity staff were pleasantly surprised when Malcolm, of Tynemouth in Tyne and Wear, contacted them to offer the huge sum which will see 拢423,121 coming to Southampton, covering the whole of Alzheimer鈥檚 Society鈥檚 contribution to the centre.
Malcolm hopes his donation will not only aid research but help people to cope with a dementia diagnosis by accessing support at the earliest opportunity. He said:
鈥淚f I can save just one couple from going through what we went through, it will have been worth it.鈥�
Dr Ruth Bartlett, Director of the Centre in Southampton commented:
“On behalf of everyone attached to the Doctoral Training Centre I鈥檇 like to express an enormous thank you to Malcom. The gesture is a wonderful endorsement of the Centre, which trains and supports doctoral students to undertake clinical and social research into matters of risk and safety from the perspective of people living with dementia.鈥�
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