Bupa Chooses Age Uk as UK-Wide Strategic Charity Partner

Age UK has been chosen as Bupa's strategic charity partner in the UK, integrating activity throughout all aspects of the Bupa UK business, engaging employees to customers and beyond. The healthcare specialist and its over 32,000 employees will be raising funds and volunteering for Age UK with the aim of raising £1m over the next two years to support thousands of older people across the UK.

The organisations have come together to help more older people to live well, age well and to love later life. Research1 has shown that, while genes have an effect, 75% of the factors that lead to longer life are within our own control like lifestyle and nutrition. So the organisations are keen to promote health and wellbeing initiatives and create opportunities to support more vulnerable older people.

Laurie Boult, Head of Fundraising at Age UK, said: "Life expectancy is increasing – in the UK, the over 85s are the fastest growing age group2. However, healthy life expectancy is not increasing at the same rate, which means that many older people are living longer, but in poor health and often with multiple long term conditions.

"Working with Bupa, we want to raise vital funds to transform the health and wellbeing of thousands of older people across the UK and help them reap the benefits of the opportunities this funding will create – social opportunities such as dancing or chatting to friends are important just as eating well and exercising are."

Richard Bowden, Managing Director at Bupa UK comments: "We are committed to working with Age UK to help improve the lives of older people. With life expectancy increasing, we feel passionately that everyone should be able to live longer, healthier, happier lives. Through our partnership we want to engage our people, customers and wider society to feel positive about ageing - because with the right planning and support everyone should be able to age well."

Age UK is committed to supporting older people in their health and wellbeing. Age UK will be Bupa's strategic charity partner in the UK for the next two years. Funds raised through the partnership will enable Age UK and its network of local partners to support older people to live healthier and happier lives. The funding will go towards Information & Advice services, Age UK's Call in Time telephone friendship service, in which Bupa staff will also volunteer, and a number of local wellness programmes such as lunch clubs, exercise classes and befriending schemes throughout the Age UK network in England, Wales*, Scotland* and Northern Ireland*.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

* Funds raised will go to respective Charities: Age Cymru, Age Scotland and Age Northern Ireland

1 Improving Later Life, Age UK 2010 http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/For-professionals/Research/Improving_Later_Life_Book(Final).pdf?dtrk=true , Chapter 1 (Professor Tom Kirkwood).

2 Mid-2012 based population projections, ONS 2014.

About Bupa and Age UK's partnership

Bupa and Age UK are working together to raise £1 million and empower people to live and age well.

Fundraising and volunteering will support Information & Advice services, Age UK's Call in Time telephone friendship service and a number of local wellness programmes such as lunch clubs, exercise classes and befriending schemes through the Age UK network in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Bupa has previously supported charities such as Diabetes UK and Alzheimer's Society through the Bupa Great Run series. In contrast, this new partnership will integrate across all aspects of Bupa UK from employees to customers and beyond.

About Age UK

We work with our national partners, Age Scotland, Age Cymru and Age NI and our local Age UK partners in England (together the Age UK Family). We also work internationally for people in later life as a member of the DEC and with our sister charity Help Age International.

Age UK believes that everyone should have the opportunity to make the most of later life, whatever their circumstances. We provide free information, advice and support to over six million people; commercial products and services to over one million customers; and research and campaign on the issues that matter to people in later life. Our work focuses on five key areas: money matters, health and wellbeing, home and care, work and training and leisure and lifestyle.

Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England (registered charity number 1128267 and company number 6825798). Age Concern England and Help the Aged (both registered charities), and their trading and other associated companies merged on the 1st April 2009. Together they have formed the Age UK Group ("we"). Charitable services are offered through Age UK and commercial products are offered by the Charity's trading companies, which donate their net profits to Age UK (the Charity).

CONTACT US

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Tel: +44 (0)207 656 2454 / bupapressoffice@bupa.com

ABOUT US

Bupa's purpose is longer, healthier, happier lives.

As a leading international healthcare group, we offer health insurance and medical subscription products, run care homes, retirement villages, hospitals, primary care centres and dental clinics. We also provide workplace health services, home healthcare, health assessments and long-term condition management services.

We have over 22 million customers in 190 countries. With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare and fulfil our purpose.

We employ more than 70,000 people, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, Poland, New Zealand and Chile, as well as Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, and the USA.

For more information, visit www.bupa.com.