MID-YEAR CHARITY WRAP UP: LOOKING BACK ON THE PAST 6 MONTHS

Jun 10, 2019
charity , Staff Blog Post

Alexandra Mullen

Looking Back on Experience Days' Charitable 2019 So Far...

Can you believe it’s June already?!

...What has 2019 brought you so far?

Here at Experience Days, the past six months have seen us push our limits, venture well outside our comfort zones, and try new things. We've stretched inside hammocks for aerial yoga, sailed the Edinburgh coastline, and ridden horses - real and mechanical.
But amongst the fun, it's important to take a pause, look back on the past six months and think about what we're thankful for. This year, we're thankful for all the amazing charities we've worked with. We're fortunate to support a huge variety of worthy causes through our charity scheme, and we always love to hear about the small difference our donations make to their work.
The charities we work with are tireless organisers, always putting together incredible events to further their cause. From balloon animals and face paint, to auctions and buffets, to pub quizzes, they make raising money fun - and we're thrilled to be a part of that!
Let’s meet some of our charities and learn a little bit more about what they do…

1. iSight Cornwall

https://www.isightcornwall.org.uk/

Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event.

Founded in 1856, iSightCornwall are the first centre of resource for all in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly who are affected by sight loss, whatever their age, circumstance or condition.
The number of blind and partially sighted people living in Cornwall has almost doubled in the last 10 years. With this number expected to increase to 32,000 by 2030, it is more important than ever that iSightCornwall reach more people and give them the support they need to maintain their independence.
iSightCornwall recently held a raffle with a number of top prizes up for grabs, including an Experience Days voucher. The raffle was a huge success, and we managed to raise an incredible £618.00 for the charity. The money raised from the raffle will allow iSightCornwall to reach more visually impaired people and give them access to the help that they need.

How much money did you raise during your event?

The raffle proved to be extremely popular this year and we were able to raise a fantastic £642.00 for our Sight Appeal!

How has this money impacted your organisation?

With over 22,000 people in Cornwall living with a visual impairment, and as the only free sight loss resource for the residents of Cornwall, our services are profoundly needed. The money raised from the raffle will enable us to continue to deliver these vital services.

2. Broadway C of E

https://stmichaelsbroadway.org/index.html

Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event.

We’re a Anglican Church - St Michael’s and All Angels with St Eadburgha’s Church. We’re unusual in that we have 2 church buildings to maintain and run.

The event was a Christmas Grand Draw hoping to raise £2000. It was held on the Broadway Christmas Shopping Nights.

How did our donation help towards this event?

It helped as a prize on our grand draw raffle to raise £1500.00.

How much money did you raise during the event?

£1500.00!

How has this money impacted your organisation?

It costs £2000 per week to run both our churches, so it helped towards these costs. We also have a vestry project to raise funds for, and the work will cost £20,000.

3. The Squad

https://thesquad.org.uk/

Tell us about your organisation.

The Squad runs a weekly club for people with learning disabilities. The club is split into two age groups: the 'Juniors' for under 25's and our 'Vets' club for over 25's. The clubs are run separately with their own age-appropriate activities. A typical week at The Squad sees members socialising, developing skills and building friendships in a supportive, inclusive environment.

Tell us about your most recent event.

The voucher that was kindly donated by Experience Days was used for the raffle at our Backgammon event at the RAC club in November. This is the second year the event has run and is our biggest fundraising event. The event raised in total £7,484.95, and we are very grateful for the support from Experience Days and our other prize donors who helped to make the event a success.

How did our donation help towards this event?

As a small charity, the amount raised from this event makes a huge difference, helping us to continue running our weekly club nights and providing opportunities for our members.

4. Freedom from Torture

https://www.freedomfromtorture.org/

Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event.

Freedom from Torture is a unique charity that cares for people who have survived horrific abuses and trauma. We provide them with specialist counselling, legal and welfare support. We also provide treatment through other means, like bread making or musical therapy. This helps the torture survivors so much, because it gives them an opportunity to meet others within the organisation and rebuild their life. In order to provide all of this, we host events to fundraise for our cause.

The Doctors’ Orchestra concert was the most recent event held at Cadogan Hall. It is an annual fundraiser for Freedom from Torture since 2010. Conductor Stephen Brearley, a consultant surgeon, has brought together gifted musicians from across Europe and the world. The 75-strong orchestra straddles the medical profession, from GP's to obstetricians, surgeons and psychiatrists, all of whom have worked in the NHS. Members reunite each year for rehearsals and performance. Raising funds for torture survivors is a key incentive to bring these skilled amateur musicians together. Every year we have a different soloist act.
This year, we welcomed Tianyou Ma, a prizewinner of the 2018 Menuhim Competition in Geneva, and Maxim Claver, a finalist in the 2018 BBC Young Musician Competition. They joined forces to in Brahms’s magisterial Double Concerto for violin and cello.

How did our donation help towards this event?

Your donation helped us to raise £44,000 for survivors of torture. In particular the Grand Raffle raised £2,000 which included the Experience Days voucher you donated to us. Without this money we cannot continue to help survivors of torture on a daily basis.

How has this impacted your organisation?

The money raised from this event provides survivors of torture the opportunity to attend therapy sessions (art, music, cooking), as well as funding their specialist counselling, legal and welfare support.

5. Infinity One Five Cheerleading Club for Leukaemia Care

https://www.leukaemiacare.org.uk/

Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event.

Infinity One Five Cheerleading Club hosted a charity ball to raise money for a small national charity, Leukaemia Care.
Leukaemia Care are a national blood cancer support charity based in Worcester. We are dedicated to ensuring that anyone affected by blood cancer receives the right information, advice and support, and have been caring for blood cancer patients and their loved ones since 1969.

We provide support via a range of services, including our free helpline, where people can speak to a qualified haematology nurse; patient information booklets; a quarterly magazine; nationwide support groups, including one in Worcester; e-learning tools for GP's and our free patient info days.

Tell us about your charity ball.

The charity ball included a 2 course meal, live music from Jess Burgess, a raffle and a silent auction to help raise funds for the charity. The Mayor of Worcester was also in attendance, along with over 100 more guests who came together to help us raise money for the cause.

How did our donation help towards this event?

The donation of a rage room experience from Experience Days was greatly appreciated, and went into the silent auction. The item itself was highly sought after and received a lot of interest, which created a bit of a bidding war and saw the final bid stand at almost double the face value of the item.

How much money did you raise during the event?

The total we raised at the ball was £4,332.00 - which was more than double our target of £2000.00!

How has this money impacted your organisation?

We really appreciate the support from Experience Days, and the money raised by this fantastic event helps to provide services such as our nurse-led helpline, nationwide support groups, patient and carer conferences, advisors on haematology wards, accredited information, and our online forum. The funds raised help us work towards our mission to provide care and support to anyone affected by a diagnosis of a blood cancer. This includes families, carers and friends.

We are also committed to supporting the training of GP's, raising awareness of blood cancer symptoms to boost earlier diagnosis through our online e-learning tool in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners. Our annual nurse conferences and nurse bursaries help nurses to enhance their skills and support for blood cancer patients and their carers.

6. Allen and York for Diverse Abilities

https://diverseabilities.org.uk/

Diverse Abilities is a non-profit organisation, working with families to help local people with physical and learning difficulties. Their mission is to help them experience opportunities and challenges through personalised programmes of support, created according to the individual needs of the person. Their mission is to provide happiness and fun, and give families a well-deserved break.

We caught up with one of their representatives to hear about their most recent event, to which Experience Days donated a voucher.

Tell us about your awards ceremony.

I just wanted to say how thankful I am again for your raffle donation! We amazingly received 30 raffle prizes in the end and everyone was super excited to see what they could win (not only were raffle tickets purchased on the night, but also from the general public around Dorset beforehand). The event was a HUGE success, raising £626.10 in total for Diverse Abilities.

7. Wonder Foundation

https://www.wonderfoundation.org.uk/

Tell us about your organisation.

Wonder Foundation is a small charity based in London, which supports women and girls in the UK, Europe and throughout the world be empowered through education.

Tell us about your awards ceremony.

We wanted to say a huge thank you for gifting £50 worth of vouchers for Experience Days to our Family Fundraising event, which took place on 19th of May.

How did our donation help towards this event?

Just because of your generosity, we were able to fundraise more than £500! This will go to Wavecrest College and improve their current computer room. This will drastically improve the learning experience of current Wavecrest students, and give them the ability to access higher-paid jobs in the hospitality sector.

8. Princeps on behalf of St Clare Hospice

https://www.cornwallwaverunnersafaris.co.uk/activities/jet-skiing-in-cornwall/

Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event.

Princeps work in the electronic components industry, and we have adopted St Clare Hospice as our charity this year. We are raising funds to help them in their care of the local community.

How did our donation help towards this event?

Your donation was used for the auction to help raise money on the quiz night.

How much money did you raise during the event?

£3,678.70 has been raised so far for the charity through the quiz night and nuclear rush.

How has this money impacted your organisation?

This money helps fund hospice care for people in the Essex and Hertfordshire areas. The charity is run purely on donations, so it is pivotal that the local community support it.

9. Renewable World

https://renewable-world.org/

Tell us about your organisation.

Renewable World is a charity that tackles poverty in poor, marginalised communities in Central America, East Africa and South Asia. We do this by providing communities with access to renewable energy, which allows them to increase their annual income, improve their health, and allow children the opportunity to concentrate on their education.

How did our donation help towards your charity event?

Experience Days' donation helped towards our raffle prizes at the Scottish Green Energy Awards 2018 in Edinburgh.

How much money did you raise during the event?

We raised an incredible £8,509.81

How has this money impacted your organisation?

Just £222 could pay for a water purification filter for a school, ensuring clean drinking water for students and teachers.
With £5,500 we could provide training on safe water use, hygiene and sanitation for seven communities in Nepal who have recently gained access to water through a solar-powered water pumping system.

10. Raising Health

https://www.raisinghealth.org.uk/

Tell us about your organisation and your most recent event.

As a Children's Therapy service, we provide Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy input for children aged 0-18 years with a range of disabilities and developmental difficulties, many of whom also have sensory impairments such as being blind or deaf. When children are too poorly to attend a clinic, they may be seen at home.

How much money did you raise during the event?

We very much appreciated your generous donation to our raffle. We raised over £900.00 from the raffle held on the 4th June.

How has this money impacted your organisation?

This year, the Children's Therapy Service is raising money to increase their range of therapy resources. The kit out team currently has access to is limited. There have been so many developments in the resources available, and we haven't had the funding to keep pace.

We hope to purchase a wider range of switch-activated toys, which can be used for children with movement difficulties to allow us to assess their functional potential, whilst supporting their cognitive development and communication.

We would also like to purchase a variety of sensory resources, in particular light-up and tactile toys to use with children who have sensory impairments. This will help to increase children's participation in therapy sessions, and support their motor development. For this group of children, their therapy needs will be lifelong. The main aim of therapy is to improve gross and fine motor function. Children learn about the world around them through play. Therapy will be more effective when it becomes part of everyday life and play, rather than being a set of exercises which are only done in clinic or when the therapist visits.

... Thank you!

That concludes our mid-year charity wrap up!

Thanks so much to the amazing organisations above for all the hard work they do, and all the organisations who contact our team on a daily basis, allowing us to make a small difference to their causes. If you're interested, please feel free to take a look at The Experience Days Charity program here. We'd be honoured to be a part of your raffle table.