There are around 90,000 people living with dementia in Scotland, and funds raised at the tournament will go towards expanding the national Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline, the only specialist-led dementia helpline in the country. It will also help develop new community based posts in Scotland, with the aim of funding at least two nurses by the end of 2020. This opportunity complements the national partnership already in place between Standard Life Aberdeen and Dementia UK.

As part of Dementia UK’s presence at the event, they will be running a raffle and a number of other awareness raising activities at their charity stand. The players, caddies, spectators and staff will also all be encouraged to dress with a splash or Tartan on the tournaments Wednesday Pro-Am day to raise awareness of Dementia UK.

On the course, returning to support the Official Charity for the fifth year running is the Aberdeen Standard Investments ‘birdie pledge’, which involves the title sponsor donating £5 for every birdie and £10 for every eagle scored over the course of the Championship. Last year a total of £14,000 was raised for the official charity and with the 156-strong player field shaping up with players including Georgia Hall, Ariya Jutanugarn and Catriona Matthew, the fundraising target will be set high.

Speaking about the announcement, Paul Edwards, Director of Clinical Services, Dementia UK, said: “We are incredibly excited to build on our national partnership by joining the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open as the Official Charity Partner.  By 2021 as many as 1 million people will be living with Dementia in the UK and we want to work to ensure that families in Scotland facing the condition get the expert support they need from specialist nurses wherever they are. The money raised during this tournament will go some way to providing that and we are grateful for the support.”

Kirsty Brownlie, Head of Community Engagement and Sustainability at Aberdeen Standard Investments, said: “I’m delighted that we’re extending our national partnership with Dementia UK by announcing them as the official charity of this year’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies’ Scottish Open. We hope our support of the ‘Birdies Pledge’, as well as other initiatives associated with the event, will help raise much needed funds to support those living with Dementia.”

Tickets for the 2019 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open are FREE.

A fun day for all the family, The Ladies Scottish Open also plays host to a ‘Ladies Day’ on Saturday 10 August, which includes a free golfing masterclass, welcome drink and cocktail making session.

In addition, ahead of Team Europe’s final selection announcement on Monday 12 August, the tournament will host a Soheim Cup themed Sunday to encourage fans to show their support for the biennial contest at Gleneagles from 9 – 15 September 2019.