A group of Stratford volunteers quite literally got their hands dirty to raise money for a local charity.
The group of Santander employees tackled a gruelling 7km mud run to raise funds for the Warwickshire Reminiscence Action Project (WRAP), which supports people caring for loved ones living with dementia.
WRAP runs dementia training courses for carers of people living with dementia, as well as ‘reminiscence’ workshops which help spark memories. It also offers two cafes in Bishopton and Wellesbourne for people living with dementia and their carers.
Santander apprentice Paige Stockil and colleague Matthew Hill were joined by friend Owen Visser and raised nearly £400 that was then matched by Santander – bringing the total to £742.50.
The cash will now be spent on new chairs for WRAP’s cafes. 
Paige said she and her colleagues decided to raise money for WRAP after hearing about its work in the Stratford area.
“I chose WRAP because we have a lot of customers with dementia and who have loved ones with dementia so it’s close to all of our hearts here at Santander.
“We raised money by getting sponsorships from friends and family for a mud run called the ‘Mudnificent 7’ – a mud run that’s 7km long and has seven different obstacles created by seven different companies.”
They also held a raffle in branch, selling tickets to customers, she added: “The feedback we got was amazing! So many people were so happy to buy tickets or even just donate. It also sparked a lot of conversations about people they loved with dementia, so we also spoke to them about WRAP and what it does! It was really eye-opening.”
The cash will go towards running courses and maintaining the services currently offered by WRAP.
Mike Strophair, secretary at WRAP, said: “What a wonderful gesture. This group of brave bank workers literally endured mud, sweat and tears to raise money for us which will go towards us helping more people who are caring for a loved one living with dementia. We’ve been planning to get some new chairs and now thanks to this kind donation we can make it happen. Thank you.”
