Fundraising feats & the motivations behind them
Melanie May | 13 September 2024 | News
Why do people choose to raise funds for charity? Here’s a look at some of the ways people fundraise for good causes, their achievements, and what motivated them.
Swansea woman celebrates raising almost £5k for cancer care charities
Swansea’s Catherine Robinson, account executive at Howden’s south Wales office, has raised £4,833 for multiple cancer care charities since April 2023.
Starting with the London Marathon in 2023, Catherine raised £3,453 for Young Lives vs Cancer. The following year, she ran the 2024 Edinburgh Marathon for the same charity, raising £1,130 and additionally raised £250 for Macmillan Cancer Support through taking part in its Marathon Hike in July of this year. Catherine will be running the London Marathon once again to raise funds for Young Lives vs Cancer in April 2025.
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On why fundraising for these charities is so important to her, Catherine said:
“I am in true amazement of Young Lives vs Cancer and their work. When completing the London Marathon in 2023, I was greeted by an inspiring young volunteer who had a terminal brain tumour, and this was the moment I knew I had to help the charity as much as I could. The charity has given me so much support both in mindset of running 26.2 miles and raising the funds.
“My fundraising for Macmillan was more of a personal story. My mam beat cancer in 2021 under the support of Macmillan, but we sadly then lost my stepdad suddenly to cancer in June 2023. So, when my friend asked me to do the marathon hike this year which fell on my stepdad’s birthday, I knew I couldn’t say no. While this was emotional to complete on such an important date, it was an honour to give something back to the charity and play a part in helping those who need it in the future.”
Skydiver raises over £1k towards creating a Bright Space for Kent Police
Raising £1,136 so far, Janine Leightley, HR Director at Bright Horizons, took to the skies on Saturday 10 August for a skydive, making the 12,000ft jump in aid of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, which is creating a new Bright Space for Kent Police at Tonbridge police station, which costs £8,000 in total.
The Bright Space will be in four areas of the police station which are used by police officers to interview vulnerable children and young people who are victims of or witnesses to crime. It will also be used to accommodate children who have been taken into police protection, until a suitable foster placement can be found, which can involve staying in the police station overnight.
Janine said:
“I feel really privileged to have completed this challenge for such an important charity. It was an amazing experience, and I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun, exciting and challenging way to spend an afternoon.
“Children in crisis need our help, Bright Spaces provide these children with a safe place to play, learn, have fun and build positive relationships. So, this personal challenge was about making a meaningful impact in the lives of children in need.”
61-year-old fundraiser walks solo from Land’s End to John O’Groats for Dementia Adventure
Harriet Thomas has embarked on a 900-mile walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats inspired by her mother who lived with dementia. Aiming to raise £25,000 for Dementia Adventure, her 90-day journey began on 1 August and will finish on 26 October.
Camping each night, Harriet’s journey is being documented in a podcast ‘The D Tour’ which also delves into themes exploring dementia. She will chat to celebrities like singing legend Tony Christie who lives with dementia, interview experts in the field and hear stories from people affected by the condition. As a singer songwriter, Harriet will also choose tracks to match her mood and write poetry and songs to reflect her experiences. Money raised will be added to the Dementia Adventure Support Fund, which provides life-enhancing supported breaks for people living with dementia and their carers.
Harriet said:
“I believe you’re never too old to have an adventure. Every step of this walk is going to be meaningful as it represents the 900,000 people in the UK living with dementia, a condition I know a lot about because of my late mother. I’m walking for her, to challenge the perceptions that exist around dementia and to promote the benefits that nature can have on people living with the condition.
“As a 60-year-old woman I’m acutely aware that almost half of dementia cases can be prevented and delayed by looking after ourselves better. I’ll keep that front of mind for the next 90 days.”
Ultra trail runner raises over £100,000 for sports charity ahead of 380km challenge
Keen ultra trail runner Simon Dent took on the Dragon’s Back Race earlier in September to raise money for Greenhouse Sports, adding to the three fundraisers he has already done for the charity, raising over £100,000.
The 380km race took place from 2-7 September. Dent was previously involved with Greenhouse Sports, helping coach some of their participants, which led to him completing three previous events raising money for the charity, with this fourth event set to take the total to over £100,000. His previous fundraisers included the Run in the Sun challenge where he ran 250km through the Moroccan Sahara over 7 days.
Dent said:
“The Dragons Back is widely regarded as the toughest mountain ultra in the world, so I felt it was a suitable challenge to help raise some funds for Greenhouse.
“Having helped coach Greenhouse students over 20 years ago and now regularly fundraising for them, I am very aware of the amazing work that they have done around the UK in getting young people involved in sport. I hope to raise as much money as possible to contribute to the cost of a coach for a year at a school.”
And one more…
Yesterday too, we featured this story from The Brain Tumour Charity, celebrating one of its supporter groups – its first group to raise £1 million. The Silas Pullen Fund is a family fund that was set up in memory of 11-year-old Silas who died from a brain tumour.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.