Elf Day goes Virtual to Support People with Dementia

Every year as December approaches, Alzheimer’s Society calls on its army of supporters to unleash their inner elf!

Elf Day, which this year falls on December 4, is fast becoming one of our most popular fundraisers for young and old alike.

Participants raise money by inviting family, friends, colleagues, or students to get sponsored to dress up as an elf and use the games and ideas in the special kit we provide to have some festive fun.

As well as dressing up, participants can get sponsored to do elfless acts of kindness, host a festive bake sale, a Christmas quiz, or a best-dressed elf competition! 

This year, as with many of our recent events, we are having to take a different approach. Social distancing guidelines will most likely still be in place come December 4, preventing get-togethers of large groups.

However, such restrictions did not prevent our fantastic supporters from getting behind this year’s Memory Walks, which normally take place at locations across the country throughout September and October.

Instead, we called on them to organise their own ‘virtual’ walks – and 1,689 across the North East did just that.

Now we’re asking people to rise to the challenge again, by giving Elf Day the virtual treatment too. Anyone wishing to take part can find out all they need to know by visiting alzheimers.org.uk/ElfDay.

People affected by dementia have been the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic and need our support more than ever. Over a quarter of all Covid-19 deaths in the UK – more than 14,000 – have been of people with dementia.

Since lockdown our services have been used more than two million times, so the demand is clearly there. By signing up for Elf Day, you can help us to meet it.

• Ken Oxley is Media Officer for Alzheimer’s Society in the North East, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire