EXPERIENCE DAYS CHARITY WRAP UP 2022
2023 has officially begun, and what a year it's been! From skydiving to afternoon teas, thousands of experiences have been and gone this year, and it's that time again where we take a look back on some of the amazing charities we have been lucky enough to work with during 2022.
Getting to know the mission behind each organisation and helping them make a difference via our two different forms of donation is what we are passionate about. We are thrilled to have worked with over 300 charities this year, and we would love for you to find out a little more about their stories. If you're a charity interested in working with Experience Days, find out more about our charity donation scheme here.
We have contacted a few of the charities to whom we contributed to during 2022. We feel extremely lucky to have gotten to know them, and hearing the impact of our donations will always be something very special to all of us here at Experience Days.
Read on to discover more about the of handful of tremendous charities we've worked with, who they are, and how our contributions have positively impacted them.
Pump Aid
Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event?
Pump Aid is a UK-registered charity which works closely with communities in rural Malawi to increase sustainable access to clean water and improved sanitation to provide relief of poverty and advancement of education. Our mission is to achieve lasting positive change in poor and disadvantaged communities in Malawi by improving the quality, availability and use of water and sanitation, promoting self-reliance, and ending aid dependency.
With 90p in every £1 spent directly on programmes and our teams in Malawi solely made up of local Malawians, Pump Aid’s innovative approach is solving the underlying causes of the water poverty crisis. Over the last twenty years, over 10,000 communities and 1.9 million people have been given access to safe, clean water thanks to our life-changing programmes.
We have won awards for our approaches, including the International Aid and Development Award at the 2017 UK Charity Awards, and are on a mission to support more children, entrepreneurs, and communities in Malawi to flourish. We were also shortlisted for the International Aid and Development Award at the 2022 UK Charity Awards.
How did our contribution help towards this event?
We hosted a Comedy fundraising event on Tuesday 15th November at Queens Head Picadilly in London and 28 guests attended the event. We had a fantastic line up of comedy talent and raffle prizes including the generous donation of a £50 Experience Days voucher. We raised £280 from comedy night tickets and raised £115 from selling raffle tickets. The proceeds from the event were donated during our Big Give Campaign which meant they were doubled! With this support we were able to surpass our target and raise £66,129 during our Big Give Campaign week!
With this funding we’ll be able to train and support 10 Water Entrepreneurs whose businesses will ensure long term water access to 25,000 people in rural Malawi, half of whom will be women and girls. We will also provide vital hygiene support to 500 children and their caregivers across two nurseries, giving them the best possible start in life.
Support from generous organisations such as Experience Days makes a lifechanging impact to rural communities in Malawi and together we will continue to work towards eliminating water poverty in Malawi by 2030.
Polka Theatre
Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event?
Polka is the UK’s leading children’s theatre and a charity dedicated to ensuring that children in our community can experience the magic of theatre no matter what hardships or barriers may prevent this. We empower children to navigate their world through inspirational theatre and creative experiences. Our most recent event was our annual Big Bash, a Christmas fundraising party for over 300 people to join us for festive fun to raise money for our Curtain Up! programme, which gives free and subsidised tickets and travel to schools whose financial barriers mean their students would otherwise never visit the theatre.
How did our contribution help towards this event?
Experience Days donated a £50 voucher for us to use in our Wishing Tree lucky dip. Guests were encouraged to participate in the lucky dip with each contribution going directly towards our fundraising campaign. This incentive meant that guests were able to take home some fantastic prizes and Christmas presents on the day, whilst helping us raise vital funds to support our work with children.
How much money did you raise during the event?
Thanks to the contribution of our generous match funders, supporters, and auction and lucky dip prize donors, we managed to raise nearly £40,000 to support our Curtain Up! programme!
How has this money impacted your organisation?
These funds have directly translated into giving 2,600
children the gift of theatre, and making a positive difference in their lives.
It will enable us to provide free tickets to a show, travel bursaries,
after-show talks with cast and creatives, resources to support continued
learning in the classroom, and much more. The cost-of-living crisis has meant
that many schools and families have struggled financially to bring children to
our brand-new space, but the success of the campaign means that we are able to
help ensure that no child need ever miss out on having fun at Polka due to
cost.
FPWR - Foundation for Prader-Willi Research
Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event?
The Foundation for Prader Willi Research UK (FPWR UK) is a small, national charity who focus on raising funds for Prader Willi Research. We are run mainly by volunteers, so with minimal overheads the funds we raise can be directed straight into research. Prader Willi Syndrome, also known as PWS, is a relatively rare, complex genetic condition which causes many symptoms, including an insatiable hunger, behavioural and learning challenges, orthopeadic issues and hormonal deficiencies. There is currently no cure for PWS, but we are confident that with research we are getting closer to new treatments and therapies that can make the lives of those with PWS, and their families, a lot easier.
Our most recent event has been an online auction where we have auctioned items that have been kindly donated by companies, individuals and attractions, including experiencedays.co.uk. We were very aware that with the current cost of living price rises it is difficult to ask people for extra this year, so we thought we would try an auction so that people were getting something back for their money. We were so grateful for donors like experiencedays.co.uk as it is through their generosity that we were able to offer a great selection of items for people to bid on.
How did our contribution help towards this event?
Experience Days very kindly donated an open voucher for us to use in our Auction which was perfect for our purposes. The voucher appealed to all of our supporters as it could be used on a variety of activities and also in a variety of locations, which was great for us as we have families and supporters all over the UK.
How much money did you raise during the event?
Our Online Auction raised £1000 which we were really pleased with. We also had lots of fun and got lots of shares and likes on our social media, which hopefully helped to raise some awareness of our charity and of PWS in general.
How has this money impacted your organisation?
This money will be used to fund research into Prader Willi Syndrome. We choose projects each year to invest in that will have an exciting impact on the understanding of PWS and/or new ways to treat the many symptoms people with PWS face. Our mission at FPWR UK is to eliminate the challenges of Prader Willi Syndrome through the advancement of research, and it is with support like we have received from experiencedays.co.uk that we can do this.
Royal Medical Benevolent Fund
Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event?
The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF) is the UK charity for medical students, doctors and their families, offering financial support, money advice and information when it is most needed due to age, ill health, disability and bereavement. We provide support for doctors and their families through all stages of their career and beyond. In addition to providing grants to help with living costs, we deliver a confidential psychotherapy service in partnership with the BMA and provide telephone befriending for those who are isolated and in need of support.
In October 2022, the European Doctors Orchestra held a concert at Cadogan Hall in London. All proceeds went to RMBF, to help doctors and medical students in times of hardship. The Orchestra played a beautiful selection of classical music which was enjoyed by the audience of over 400 people.
How did our contribution help towards this event?
As part of the event, we held a prize draw, which was free to enter, but we invited donations. We wanted prizes that would add an incentive to take part and that were easy for people to access who were travelling some distance to the concert. We’re very thankful that Experience Days offered us a £50 gift card, which could be used on a variety of experiences across the UK, to suit everyone.
How much money did you raise during the event?
The concert as a whole raised over £15,000, with over £1600 raised from the prize draw and donations.
How has this money impacted your organisation?
The money raised can help us meet a doctor’s most urgent needs, at a time when that support could make all the difference. As the medical profession continues to feel the impact of the past two years, we are seeing a high level of need for support among doctors. The funds raised can help towards essential living costs, money advice, confidential psychotherapy, and online wellbeing support. This means we can ensure that doctors will always have somewhere to turn in times of crisis.
Deaf Blind UK
Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event?
Deafblind UK is a national charity supporting people who have both sight and hearing loss. We help them to live as independently as they want, providing both practical and emotional support. Our Christmas campaign for 2022 was called ‘Making Memories’ because when you have lost your sight and hearing, you have to rely on your memories.
How did our contribution help towards this event?
Experience Days very kindly donated a voucher for a ‘Meet the Meerkat’ experience for us to give away in our digital advent calendar. The prize was hugely popular, and we had lots of entries to win it. The lucky winner will have a great day making memories for themselves!
How has this money impacted your organisation?
Deafblindness can leave people feeling lonely and isolated so this money will go towards providing social opportunities for the people we support. This includes social groups, befriending opportunities and even holidays. On behalf of everyone we support, we are extremely grateful to Experience Days for donating this fantastic prize!
Ups and Downs
Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event?
Ups and Downs Southwest, is a local charity based in Bridgwater, Somerset, supporting families who have a child or young person with Down Syndrome, in the southwest, covering Somerset, North Somerset, Bristol, Devon, Dorset and Wiltshire. Our aim is to provide support and information to help families and professionals bring out the very best in their children. On Saturday 10th December 2022 we held a charity concert in conjunction with Fascinating Rhythm, a local choir that had kindly chosen us as their charity of the year 2022.
How did our contribution help towards this event?
We held a raffle on the night of our event to maximise our fundraising potential and were delighted when Experience Days were able to offer us a voucher as one of our prizes in our top draw.
How much money did you raise during the event?
We were delighted to raise £462.51, which was a combination of our raffle and a retiring collection.
How has this money impacted your organisation?
The money raised from this event will enable us to continue with our important work of supporting families with a child or young person with Down Syndrome.
Kent MS Therapy Centre
Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event?
The Kent MS Therapy Centre is an independent charity based in Canterbury providing complementary therapies and specialist clinics to help improve the lives of people living with Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological conditions in the county of Kent. We do not receive any financial assistance whatsoever from the Government or the NHS and the services we provide are run entirely on donations and fundraising activities such as our Christmas Ball. We held our Ball on Saturday 2 December at the University of Kent and it was such a wonderful evening to raise money for the Centre. Guests enjoyed a three-course meal, speeches by Paralympian Millie Knight and MS Member of our charity Joolz Foot. Dave Fulton, Sky Sports Presenter, led the evening and the Live Auction which included some lovely prizes donated by local Kent businesses.
At the end of the meal The Kick Backs took to the stage and played a great set, stopping for a quick break to announce the raffle winners, which drew everyone over to the raffle table. The event was a great success for the charity and helped to raise awareness of our Centre and the work that we do as well as much needed donations to continue our support of those living with MS and other conditions in Kent.
How did our contribution help towards this event?
The donation of a gift voucher from Experience Days was greatly appreciated and we were able to offer it as a fantastic prize in our raffle on the night which ended up raising over £1,000.
How much money did you raise during the event?
Our Christmas Ball was a great success and we managed to raise over £12,000 from the event.
How has this money impacted your organisation?
e money raised from our Christmas Ball will allow us to continue to provide therapies such as oxygen therapy, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and many more to our community of members who live with MS and other neurological conditions in Kent. Through regular surveys / questionnaires we know that our activities can help to improve and/or sustain a range of physical, mental and cognitive functions. We will also be able to continue to provide a social space for our members where they can share experiences, problems or ideas.
Thank you for reading our 2022 Charity Wrap Up Article!
We are thrilled to have had the privilege of working with so many charities this year, and would like to give a big thank you to the ones who have contributed to our article. We are proud to support every single charity we have worked with, and learn a little bit about their empowering stories. If you are interested in our Charity Scheme, you can read all about it here; we would be delighted to support and hear about even more amazing charities in 2023!
