We’re proud to announce our partnership with two local charities, and we’re aiming to raise a total of £5,000 over the next year.

CancerCare and Defying Dementia have been selected as the company’s chosen charities to support throughout 2016, following a staff survey.

John Lyon, ICS managing director, said: “There are so many fantastic charities doing phenomenal work in the Lancaster area, but CancerCare and Defying Dementia really resonated with the ICS team. Sadly, like many people, some of our staff members have had personal experiences with cancer and dementia, so we found that these charities were the ones particularly close to our hearts.”

A number of fundraising activities have now been planned over the coming months. These include a sponsored walk, quiz night, bake sale and spin-a-thon.

At the end of the 12 month period, the total amount of money raised will be split equally between the two charities. John added: “We are aiming to raise £5,000 in total, but I know that many of the team are confident we will raise even more! We have a busy summer coming up with plenty of fundraising events planned and we are looking forward to offering our support and raising vital funds for two incredible charities.”

Neil Townsend, Chief Executive Officer of CancerCare, said: “CancerCare is delighted that the staff of ICS have pledged to raise money to help support the work of our charity. Established 33 years ago, CancerCare has grown into a leading charity that supports people of all ages and their families who are affected by the emotional and physical impacts of a cancer diagnosis. Working from two centres in Lancaster and Kendal, we remain committed to serving our local communities and every penny raised is spent on these vital services.”

Dr Penny Foulds, Lancaster University Honorary Researcher, said: “The funds that ICS raise will contribute to the final safety testing of an exciting new drug, developed by scientists at Lancaster University. This drug stops the ‘senile plaques’ developing in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s and preserves memory. At the moment there are no cures for Alzheimer’s and no treatments to even slow it down. We are committed to developing this desperately needed drug to help people with dementia, and with the help of ICS, we will carry on the experiments needed to take our drug closer to the point where it can be used by people with Alzheimer’s.”