‘Brain food’ link to charity donation
05 April 2021
Fish such as salmon are often called ‘brain food’ because of the recognised role that diets rich in omega-3 can play in reducing the risk of cognitive decline. Helping to further research in this field was therefore an obvious choice when Ace Aquatec’s staff were looking for charities to support in 2021.
The Scotland Network Centre of Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK), based on Ace Aquatec’s doorstep in Dundee, sponsors biomedical dementia researchers from the universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh and St Andrews. Donations to the charity go directly to research into finding a cure for neurodegenerative disease, in addition to supporting families and communities living with dementia.
Stacy Rowan, ARUK’s Regional Fundraising Officer in Scotland, said Ace Aquatec’s donation of £2,000 will be of great benefit to the organisation’s research programme.
‘It will be used within our Scottish network to support researchers at the earlier part of their careers, helping them carry out vital, ground breaking work that paves the way for better understanding of causes and treatments, as well as potential cures.’
ARUK is devoted to finding a cure for dementia causing diseases, which currently affect 850,000 people in the UK and which, at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, were the second highest cause of deaths in the UK. The charity is striving towards the first life-changing dementia treatment by 2025 and has invested in 1,000 UK and international projects across all forms of dementia since 1998.
Rowan said current schemes include a campaign around brain health, which advocates that what’s good for your heart is good for your brain, plus a major diet related investigation.
‘We fund the MedEx study, which looks at whether adopting aspects of the Mediterranean diet, which includes a lot of fish and is high in omega-3 fats, can reduce the risk of dementia,’ she said.
ARUK is facing a drop in income of up to 45 per cent due to Covid. Without life-changing preventions and treatments, 33 per cent of people born in 2020 will develop dementia in their lifetime, and the pandemic related funding shortfall for medical research will take years to repair, the charity said.
Ace Aquatec is donating a total of £8,000 to national and international charities this year. As well as ARUK, donations will go to The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch non-profit organisation that aims to remove 90 per cent of polluting plastics from the sea by 2040.
Also receiving funds is local charity Dundee Bairns, which supports children living in poverty by providing regular hot and nutritious meals in a safe environment during school holidays.
Ace Aquatec chief executive Nathan Pyne-Carter said: ‘Now more than ever, the third sector is among the hardest being hit by the Covid pandemic.
‘Each of our chosen charities has a close connection to our team members and our business values. It’s so important that we continue supporting the initiatives that are making a real difference in our industry and communities.'
‘The partnerships benefit all parties through education, sustainability, research and new projects. We hope our support will help strengthen the resilience of these great organisations.’
