AN Andover woman has had her impressive fundraising efforts for the Alzheimer’s Society matched by her employers.

Francesca Cortvriend, 52, who lives in Whynot Lane, raised £2,480 for the charity with match-funding from health and social care provider Care UK after taking on the tough 100-mile Ride London event, which includes the notorious Box Hill in Surrey.

Charities around the country are more than £30,000 better off this year thanks to the efforts of colleagues working for Care UK .

Francesca, operations manager and deputy hospital director at the Southampton NHS Treatment Centre, is one of Care UK’s top individual fundraisers during the past 12 months in Hampshire.

Francesca, said: “My father was recently diagnosed and struggling with the condition.

“Seeing first hand all the challenges that this presents him and my family, I was galvanized into positive action; fundraising in those circumstances gives you a real passion to make a difference”.

“The training was the most gruelling part.

“I calculated that I had spent about 70 hours covering more than 1,000 miles around the hilly countryside of Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, in addition to a further 25 hours in the gym and pool over the eight weeks preceding the event.

“Really generous support from my friends, family and Care UK via the match-funding scheme provided a tremendous support to help me through some very challenging training days and moments when I felt I could not go on. “It was the incentive I needed to persevere and maintain the confidence that I could really achieve something so worthwhile. I was touched by how many of my supporters told me how Alzheimer’s disease had affected them personally and the lives of someone they love.”

Philippa Slinger, Care UK’s managing director of Secondary Healthcare, said: “Our colleagues across the country have not only worked hard all year to provide excellent service to their patients but, in their own time, they have gone out to take amazing feats of endurance to help people in their wider community.

“Care UK is very proud of its team and very pleased to be able to support them and their chosen charities through our match-funding scheme.

“I wish everyone the best for their future raising ventures.”