James Latham staff vote to make Alzheimer’s Society their official charity partner for 2026/27, launching a hands-on partnership rooted in the company’s heritage of community engagement.
James Latham, the nearly 270-year-old British timber and panel products distributor, has named Alzheimer’s Society as its official charity partner for 2026/27. The decision was made by a company-wide staff vote, with employees across the company’s network of depots and offices in the UK and Ireland choosing the cause that mattered most to them.
Dementia is a shared concern across the construction and specification community, affecting staff, customers, suppliers and their families. In the UK, someone develops dementia every three minutes, and around 1 million people are currently living with the condition. For many across the James Latham team, supporting Alzheimer’s Society is personal.
An active partnership
James Latham is committing time, people and creativity alongside fundraising. Depots, divisions and head office teams are able to join awareness initiatives and fundraising activities throughout the year, with every employee granted one paid day to take part in volunteering, events and campaigns that support Charities. For example, Billy McKay, Operations manager at Leeds depot, recently ran the Leeds Half Marathon carrying a 30kg Army issue backpack in support of the cause.
Building on existing impact
The new partnership formalises and extends a relationship that is already making a difference. To date, James Latham has donated £40,750 to Alzheimer’s Society, helping to fund activities such as 122 hours of running costs for the Dementia Friends programme, 272 sessions of Singing for the Brain and 5,705 calls answered on the Dementia Support Line.
In 2024/25, Alzheimer’s Society reached 106,000 people directly through its support services. The charity has also invested £18.6 million in dementia research activities, £16.1 million in highlighting inequalities in health and care, and £9 million in three Doctoral Training Centres that will train more than 75 researchers over five years.
A partnership to be proud of
Nick Latham, Chairman, James Latham, says, “Our people are at the heart of everything we do, so it felt right to let them choose the cause we’d stand behind. Dementia has touched so many of our colleagues, customers, suppliers and friends across the UK and Ireland, and the strength of feeling in the staff vote made that very clear. We’re proud they’ve chosen Alzheimer’s Society. Our ambition is for this to be a partnership built on action and shared commitment, with our teams ready to roll up their sleeves and make a real difference.”
Soraya Bowen, Alzheimer’s Society adds, “Behind every staff vote like this one are real people, real families and real experiences of dementia, which is why James Latham’s decision to partner with us means so much. When a workforce votes for a cause, it tells you something powerful about how dementia is touching lives in every part of the country, including across the construction and specification community.
“James Latham’s support is already making a real difference. Their previous donations have helped fund hours of our Dementia Friends programme, sessions of Singing for the Brain and thousands of calls to our Dementia Support Line, which is a lifeline for people facing dementia and the people who love them. Staff-led fundraising of this kind is incredibly meaningful, because every pound raised, every conversation started and every event run helps us be there for more of the 1 million people living with dementia in the UK today. We’re looking forward to working with the team over the coming year.”
A proud legacy of community engagement
The partnership continues James Latham’s commitment to community engagement and charitable giving, reflecting values held since the business was founded in 1757.
