Fundraising Update – October 2018

As ever we send our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has spent time and effort fundraising for us – in the 3 months since our last newsletter you have been busy in many different ways to raise the much-needed money that we need in order to keep delivering our programme of rehabilitation, support and prevention initiatives.  Here are a few examples (but by no means all).

Our Corporate Supporters have been fundraising and awareness raising for us in many different ways including:

Golf Days held by Hendon Golf Club and the Bathroom Manufacturers Association have raised over £3,500.  Our thanks to everyone involved in both these events.

Cauz Club, our newest Corporate Supporter, are not only donating a percentage of their income, but also produced this amazing video, highlighting how we help families at our Family Weekends.

The Biggleswade Fire Engine Pull was one of the events held by the Fire Services during the summer, and who nominated us as one of their beneficiaries. Here’s a link to their Virgin Money Giving Page:  https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=Biggleswadefep&pageUrl=1 )

Wedding Bells – Several years ago Helen Gallie was trekking in order to raise funds for us – this year, she asked guests at her wedding to David to donate to Children’s Burns Trust in lieu of wedding gifts.  With our thanks to their generous guests who raised over £300 – and congratulations to the happy couple!

In Memorium – We have recently been honoured to be remembered by two kind benefactors, who requested donations in their memory to be sent to us, and for which we express our grateful thanks.

We would like to extend our thanks to the amazing burn survivors who have organised and participated in a variety of events to raise funds and awareness for us over the past few months.

Jacob’s Cycling Challenge – Jacob completed his bike ride on Sunday 21st October and raised over £700. He cycled just over 8 miles from his home to Gloucester Cathedral and back again.

He had his Mum, Dad, Cousin Mason and Kiera and his Uncle Kevin cycle alongside him for support. As well as his little brother and great aunties following in the car to check our progress and take photos.

“This was a real achievement for us all,” said his mum “and we have been overwhelmed with the support and donations we have received for the Children’s Burns Trust. We are already thinking what we can do next year’.

Ride Out for Rosie – Following a serious injury received from a firework last November, Rosie-May and her family have been extremely busy raising funds for the Children’s Burns Trust and helping to raise awareness about the importance of firework safety and good first aid.  On 21^st October they held a Ride Out and were overwhelmed by the support of their biker friends.

Rosie-May’s mum Eleanor said:

“Without the amazing support of Children’s Burns Trust I would have been totally lost, with the run up to Christmas they sent us a grant to help cover the costs of fuel back and forth for my husband, food for us both and hotel stays. This small gesture allowed us to ensure our children could have a magical Christmas despite the accident.” 

Cristal was burnt just over two years ago and her personal experiences inspired her to carry out a wonderfully unique fundraising challenge. She raised over £280 when she spent the day after National Burn Awareness Day dressed as a ladybird! Cristal said:

I passionately advocate mental health and body image positivity to help other people who have gone through a burns injury, disfigurement, or trauma. That’s why raising money for the Children’s Burns Trust has been such an amazing experience…. to show others it’s okay to look and be different from everyone else. I can happily say that I thoroughly enjoyed the day and cannot wait for this amazing charity to get spending the money on other young people like me.

Saffron was severely burnt as a youngster and attended burns camps as she grew up – she now helps out at burns camps and volunteers with the Children’s Burns Club, based at Broomfield Hospital in Essex.  We only met Saff in September this year when she attended our Family Weekend as a volunteer.  She has become an active ambassador for Children’s Burns Trust –   She took to social media big-time on National Burn Awareness Day – and her Facebook fundraising is growing daily.

One of our key initiatives for National Burn Awareness Day is producing a range of multimedia resources that people can use on and around the day, including a toolkit, posters, banners and stickers. This year we invited people who downloaded these from our website to pledge a small amount of money as a thank you. We were delighted that people were happy to support our work in this way, with our ‘Pledge £2’ campaign raising more than £180.

We are always extremely grateful for ALL the funds raised for us – no matter how small or large.  As a small charity with minimal overheads, you can be sure the funds you raise for us will go directly to helping where it is most needed.  Here’s an example of what your support helps us achieve at one of our recent Family Weekends.