Thurlow Nunn Standen (TNS), alongside the wider Thurlow Nunn Group, has announced it raised £308,000 for Dementia UK, more than doubling the £150,000 target it set at the start of 2025 as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations.
Chairman James Thurlow presenting the £308,000 cheque to Sarah Child and Caroline Scates of Dementia UK
The company say final total marks an extraordinary achievement for themselves and reflects the generosity and commitment of colleagues, customers, suppliers, friends and family across the region.
TNS is part of the Thurlow Nunn Group, which traces its roots to 1875, when George Thurlow, the great-great-grandfather of current chairman James Thurlow, founded the business in Stowmarket, Suffolk. Family-owned for six generations, the Group has grown to operate from 20 sites, including 13 Thurlow Nunn car dealerships across East Anglia, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.
Today, TNS machinery dealers operate from five branches in Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. As a mainline AGCO dealer, TNS holds franchises for Fendt, Massey Ferguson and Valtra tractors, alongside a wide range of complementary brands including Manitou, Kubota, Amazone, Claydon Drills and Major Equipment.
The 150th anniversary year was dedicated to the memory of former Chairman John Thurlow, a well-known figure in the East Anglian farming community, who passed away from dementia in June 2024. The fundraising campaign brought together teams from across the business and wider Thurlow Nunn Group through a programme of events, including bake sales, river rows, site open events, charity dinners, raffles, race nights, skydives, half marathons, bike rides, walks and the family Christmas ball.
TNS Melton team completed the River Deben Challenge, raising £31,543 in aid of Dementia UK, June 2025
James Thurlow, chairman of the Thurlow Nunn Group, said, “I am delighted to announce that, after a year and a half of fundraising, we presented a cheque for £308,000 to Dementia UK. We cannot thank our colleagues, friends, family, suppliers and customers enough for the way they have pulled together behind this wonderful charity. This achievement belongs to every single person who contributed. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would so far exceed our £150,000 target, yet everyone involved proved what can be achieved through passion, generosity and determination.
"This money will make a genuine difference to people’s lives, helping to support the development of Dementia UK’s specialist nursing function, the Admiral Nurses, throughout East Anglia.”
The fundraising campaign officially concluded on Wednesday, 27 May at the Suffolk Show, where TNS presented the final cheque to Caroline Scates, director of Nursing Services for Dementia UK, and Sarah Child, community fundraising manager of Dementia UK, in front of suppliers, contributors, colleagues and members of the Thurlow family.
