Play2Give - Blog

Draycott Engineering revs up with a £250 donation

8/8/2020

Play2Give gets tuned up with an amazing £250 donation!

We are delighted to be selected as the latest winning Charity of the quarter by Draycott Engineering in Didcot.

Thank you to all the staff who nominated us and to the customers who voted for us through the token scheme over the past few months to win the £250 donation.

Andy popped along yesterday afternoon (Friday 7th) to their HQ on Rich's Sidings for the giant cheque presentation and we look forward to working with the team going forward.

We rely on the generosity of businesses like Draycott Engineering to help us with our continued amazing charitable work as a fundraising organisation in changing, transforming and saving lives across Oxfordshire, which enhances and impacts the lives of many charities and local people in so many ways.

Live in or around Didcot? Give the team at Draycott Engineering a call or pop in for all your car needs whether it's for maintenance, MOTs or any vehicle related issues. With trading for nearly 16 years they have a great reputation for friendly, reliable and trusted service.

We can't thank the company enough for their fabulous support.

Andy receives a cheque from Draycott Engineering for £250 as a result of winning the quarterly donation through the most tokens

Danceathon with the Angels raises nearly £1,500!

4/21/2020

By Rebecca Whittaker - Newsquest

Young dancers showed off their moves to help boost charity with a two-and-a-half hour Danceathon.

Angels Performing Arts dance school in Didcot raised just under £1,500 to keep children in Didcot dancing by supporting the charity Off the Streets. It also donated cash to local fundraisers Play2Give.

Read full story from Oxford Mail

Another fantastic donation from St Birinus School

3/11/2020

A huge thank you to St Birinus School in Didcot for another fantastic amount donated to Play2Give this week.

We were thrilled to receive £132.98 yesterday donated by the school.

This latest amount was donated as part of a recent Non School Uniform Day which raised over £530 and Play2Give was one of the four charities chosen by the four Houses to all receive a share of the proceeds. Thank you so much to the boys for choosing us as one of them.

It is great to see such superb continued support to Play2Give from our Andy Baker's former school, which for Andy 18 years ago is where his fundraising endeavours for the Oxford Children's Hospital began, as a year 10 schoolboy aged 14 wanting to help raise funds initially towards the building of the children's hospital.

In total St Birinus as a school has helped contribute over £2,560 for Play2Give over many years, and we are sure they will continue to support us to continue to honour the fundraising efforts of Andy as a former pupil.

Thank you to them all!

Another tasty total cooked up by latest cakes bake

3/7/2020

Thank you to the commuters at Didcot station today for another recipe for success in funds.

It was another successful charity cakes sale at Didcot Parkway station today.

Thanks to everyone's generosity from the fabulous donations received for lots of yummy tasty and delicious cakes.

A fantastic £173.50 was collected for Play2Give!

It just shows how much love there is for our amazing fundraising organisation out there amongst our home town of Didcot.

Thank you to everyone who supported and parted so generously with their pennies and pounds including notes to help support our great work in changing, transforming and saving lives across Oxfordshire and our huge thanks to all the team at the station for their wonderful and continued support, especially an extra special thank you to Liz in the ticket office.

The next cakes sale for Play2Give at the station will be on Saturday December 12th.

'Superheroes' fly in another superb sum for the children's hospital

3/2/2020

We raised an amazing £4,531 for the youngest of hospital patients throughout 2019, thanks to your help.

Thanks to our local community we were recently able to present a grand cheque to the Oxford Children's Hospital as a result of our fundraising endeavours throughout 2019.

In total across 12 years we have donated close on £65,000 to the Oxford Children's Hospital. At the end of February, we were delighted to have added to our support when Andy Baker along with Andy Williams (head of our Superheroes) and our youngest volunteer, Chloe, 17, visited the hospital to meet with hospital charity representatives and to hand over our gigantic cheque for proceeds raised last year.

Proceeds were raised through activities such as tombolas and raffles, our caped crusaders taking on a 12-hour walk from Didcot to the Children's Hospital last September collecting £580 from generous members of the public to getting soaked in the stocks at the Didcot Summer Fayre and Harwell fete, through to donations raised through yoga classes, a charity 6-hour class-athlon at UTC in Didcot,

What superheroes! We did it! We raised an amazing £4,531 for the Oxford Childrens Hospital in 2019.

Over £480 was raised for the neonatal care areas of the John Radcliffe Hospital last year - Andy and Chloe are pictured presenting Martin, SSNAP charity director, with our grand cheque for the newborn care babies and families

and over £950 was raised through a day of board and table top gaming fun. Andy also assembled his biggest ever OX5 team to take part in the annual five-mile fun run last March, with over £1,500 raised between the heroes.

Andy, a former children's hospital patient, set up Play2Give and with his army of volunteers and supporters has raised over £220,000 over 18 years, for charities. He was initially inspired aged 14 to fundraise as a St Birinus School pupil for the Children's Hospital, before setting up P2G in September 2007, after receiving childhood treatment from birth following a brain injury, and brain surgery aged 12, following a further head injury.

Speaking of our latest donation Joe Baker, spokesperson at the Oxford Hospitals Charity, said: "A great big thank you to all those involved in Play2Give, helping raise an amazing amount for the Oxford Children's Hospital Charity. Your support means we can help fund the latest medical equipment, make the hospital bright and comfortable and fill the hospital with lots of fun things to do for our young patients."

In total last year we raised over £15,000 in funds with the remainder £10k donated out to Headway Oxfordshire, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Footsteps, Soundabout, SSNAP - Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents charity and other good causes locally.
SSNAP received over £480 from endeavours last year, including a 'Heroes and Villains Party' at Partyman World in Oxford last October, which raised £175. Andy spent time in SCBU upon birth, and we have helped raise around £800 across the past two years for the neonatal care charity.

Thousands of gifts estimated at £70,000 in value was raised and given out last Christmas, through our fifth 'Sleigh2Give' initiative, to young hospital patients, young carers in South Oxfordshire, families supported by Home-Start and others in need.

Thank you to everyone who donated, supported and was involved in our fundraising efforts last year and helping us to continue changing, transforming and saving lives across Oxfordshire, we are looking forward to another fantastic fundraising year this year.

Play2Give is the Thames Valley Charity of the Year

2/3/2020

Andy with our 'Charity of the Year' Award received at the Thames Valley Business and Community Awards

We have been crowned the region's charity of the year!

Last Thursday (30th January) marked the return of the annual Thames Valley Business and Community Awards in Reading. The glitzy awards ceremony attended by hundreds of guests took place at the Hilton Hotel, which celebrated the region's most ambitious, inspirational and exciting businesses, charities and individuals.

Our founder Andrew Baker went along to the ceremony to represent the entire Play2Give team. He was delighted to have come back with a surprise victory for us as we was in one of the most highly fought categories, the charity of the year. We was in contention with much bigger and more known regional charities.

So, we were delighted on the night, when not only was we announced as being shortlisted with 10 other finalists but crowned as the 'shock' winners of the 'Charity of the Year' gong.

Speaking about the decision to choose us, the judges said: "The work that you are doing on a daily basis is changing , transforming and saving lives locally, with a particular focus on children, health and disability charities!"

Among the winners were entrepreneurs who had innovated unique solutions to the problems they faced, put their heart and soul into making their industry better, overcome personal and professional hardship to triumph in business (such as our very own founder Andrew Baker living life with a brain injury) and more.

This year saw the standard of entrants so high that a record breaking 165 nominees were shortlisted across the 12 award categories. This year winners were from all across the Thames Valley which speaks volumes for the reach of the awards.

The judging panel got together to scrutinise the finalists and select the shortlisted nominees from nearly 500 nominations and the winners among them, and we are delighted to be one of those winners.

Thames Valley based radio presenter and business advisor Mary Flavelle was the awards hostess with the mostest. Mary is the founder of one of the UK's biggest women's networking groups, whilst one of Europe's best Tina Turner impersonators, Tiny Tina Turner and her six-piece band provided fantastic musical entertainment throughout the night. Tina certainly did capture the simply the best moment as she sang throughout the night "You're Simply The Best!"

Guests were motivated by an inspiring keynote speech from British Gold Olympian Naomi Riches MBE. The nominees were motivated to strive for excellence and greatness through this world champion. The awards evening also saw thousands of pounds raised for various charities and not for profit groups.

A huge thank you to all our volunteers, our supporters and our local community who supports, tirelessly helps and gets involved in all that we do in our work as an Oxfordshire fundraising organisation, that enables us to receive such praise and recognition with awards like this, that will only go onto help us become even more successful and grow, helping even more local people and local charities in need.

Find out more about these awards

Play2Give Goes to Parliament!

1/31/2020

Andrew receives his Prime Minister's Points of Light Award from David Johnston MP, outside Palace of Westminster

Earlier this week Play2Give went to Parliament as our founder and inspirational chief, Andy, took a trip to Westminster to receive his honour awarded to him by the Prime Minister.

Andy, together with our Community Officer, Matthew Norris - who nominated Andy and Andy's Mum, Ann, the trio visited London to meet with our local MP, David Johnston OBE. David was delighted to present Andy with his 'Points of Light Award' that was given to him by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, announced earlier this month.

Andrew, centre with his award, with left David Johnston MP for Wantage and David, Matthew and Andrew's mum, Ann

In a personal hand signed letter to Andy, Boris Johnson wrote: "I am lost in admiration for remarkable people like yourself who freely give up their time to improve the lives of others. I know you do this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own recognition of how your fundraising over the past 18 years, in tribute to the treatment you received as a child born with a brain injury, has transformed services at Oxford Children's Hospital and supported causes throughout the county. Your service exemplifies the great British spirit of generosity and philanthropy which brings out the best in us all. On behalf of the whole country, thank you!"

Andy, Matt and Ann were treated to afternoon tea and cake by David in the Parliamentary restaurant before setting off to enjoy the rest of the afternoon to explore Westminster and landmarks including Westminster Abbey, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and they even got to go and see Buckingham Palace from the outside as darkness was creeping in.

Andy was the 1,290th recipient to be honoured with this prestigious award from the Prime Minister, which recognises outstanding individual volunteers from across the United Kingdom.

Congratulations Andrew, and we are delighted to announce that since meeting Andy, David has agreed to become a Patron of Play2Give!

Points of Light: Play2Give - Andrew Baker

Prime Minister's Points of Light Award for Andrew

1/3/2020

We're thrilled to announce that our Founder and CEO, Andrew Baker BCAv, has been awarded a 'Points of Light Award' by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in honour of his work with Play2Give and in tribute to dedicating half of his life to fundraising for good causes.

The Prime Minister's 'Points of Light' honours outstanding individual volunteers - people who are making a change in their community.
The 'Points of Light' award acknowledges volunteers across the United Kingdom who make a difference in society. The awards are administered by the Prime Minister's office, in collaboration with the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).
Every week day the Prime Minister recognises an inspirational volunteer, and we are delighted that our very own founder has been recognised by Boris Johnson as the 1,290th recipient of this prestigious award.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote to Andrew, saying: "I know you do this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own recognition of how your fundraising over the past 18 years, in tribute to the treatment you received as a child born with a brain injury, has transformed services at Oxford Children's Hospital and supported causes throughout the county."

Finding out about the award win on 23rd December in an email, and the award announced on 3rd January, accepting the award, Andrew said: "I feel incredibly honoured and humbled to have been chosen by the Prime Minister to receive the Points of Light award. It is a true pleasure. Giving back and helping others means a lot to me, for all the care and treatment I have received, it is my way to repay the gift of life so that others less fortunate can benefit. I have worked tirelessly for 18 years to help others and 'Play2Give', which I have proudly founded, has continued to grow, changing and saving countless numbers of people's lives in many ways. I would like to stress that to me this recognition is a 'team effort'. I would like to dedicate this award to the incredible team of volunteers whom I am lucky to work with and that make 'Play2Give' the continued success that it is. I couldn't do what I do without my team and of course without the fantastic supporters within the community who engage with my fundraising so well. This is a perfect way to honour them all and I wholeheartedly thank the Prime Minister for the recognition of such a special honour."

David Johnston, MP for Wantage and Didcot, who took up his post in November, said: "I'm delighted that Andrew Baker's hard work on behalf of many local charities has been recognised. Andrew is an inspiring example of someone who refused to let a disadvantage they were born with hold them back and he has worked tirelessly to give back to his local community, achieving more already than most of us will. It is wonderful that his work has been recognised by the Prime Minister in this way."

Andrew has been invited to receive his award at Parliament later this month, well done Andy - we are all very proud and extremely pleased for you!

You can find out more about the Prime Minister's Points of Light Award here

Lifetime Achievement gong for Andrew after seventeen years of dedicated fundraising

10/28/2019

After seventeen years of committed hard work in fundraising to help others inspired by his own childhood treatment, our founder Andrew has bagged the Lifetime Achievement Award, at last week's Against Breast Cancer Achievement Awards ceremony.

Andrew, who began raising money at the age of 14 in 2003 after wanting to 'repay' the Oxford medics who treated him from birth after being born with a brain injury, and in particular the brain surgery he endured aged 12, saw Andrew scoop the biggest gong of the night at the fifth annual ceremony, held by Against Breast Cancer.

The glitzy black-tie occasion, held at The Hilton Hotel in Reading, saw Andy up against two other contenders in the category of lifetime of achievement, after Andy was the most nominated person this year, after Against Breast Cancer received more than 20 separate nominations by people, making Andy possibly the most nominated individual for the awards in their history.

It was a proud moment for Andy and for Play2Give when he was announced at nearly 10.30pm as the much deserved, and popular, winner of the lifetime category. He was in good and strong contention with Alison Porter and Professor Diana Eccles, who total up many more years of their careers between them, but Andy was 'surprised' to 'win' and for Andy it was an emotional moment after nearly eighteen years of tireless fundraising, against the odds.

Andy attended the ceremony with mum Ann, and fellow Play2Give volunteers including best friend Luke, Matthew and Emma, along with Angela, Luke and Matthew's mother.

Andrew's win came after he recently was nominated for the ITV Fundraiser of the Year, as part of the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards. Andrew was selected as one of four finalists for the ITV Meridian region, and was named a runner-up this year in the annual search to find an inspirational and wonderful fundraiser. Several nominations was received by ITV for Andrew, and we was delighted that through his nomination as shown on ITV Meridian news earlier this month, helped to increase our name and awareness further across the South.

In total, there was nine categories including Fundraiser of the Year, Young Achiever, Company of the Year, Health Worker of the Year and Charity of the Year.

We was delighted that Headway Oxfordshire, of which Andy has been a service user for eight years and one of our key charities we raise money for, was also in contention and named the winner of the 'Charity of the Year'. Headway was represented by Charlotte Carlisle, operations manager who dedicated their win in tribute to Andy and to all of the 'inspirational staff, volunteers and service users' when accepting the award on stage.

The evening was hosted by Reading-born actor, producer and martial artist Winston Ellis, who last October became our first celebrity Patron and notably known for his roles in Batman: The Dark Knight and Pirates of the Caribbean, and fellow actor Samuel Anderson, most known for his roles in Emmerdale and Doctor Who. Both are pictured above presenting Andy with his lifetime achievement award.

Congratulations Andy - we and Oxfordshire particularly Didcot couldn't be more prouder of you.

Andrew up for Pride of Britain Award

9/30/2019

Andrew is an ITV Fundraiser of the Year Finalist

We are delighted to announce exciting news, our founder Andy Baker has been nominated for a prestigious Pride of Britain Award.

Several people including our very own volunteer Amanda Mann nominated Andy this year for his outstanding charitable efforts over the past 17 years, in which he has raised over £175,000 since 2003 and now he has been selected as one of four finalists in our region for the ITV Fundraiser of the Year as part of the Pride of Britain Awards.

Andy, who found out the news in a phone call from the Pride of Britain producers at ITV Meridian, whilst he was away earlier this month was nominated by many for the Pride of Britain Awards, which will be screened on ITV next month.

Middle of this month saw half a days filming take place at the Headway Oxfordshire centre, where Andy attends twice weekly for rehabilitation and support as part of his brain injury, with several involved from Andy being interviewed about his nomination, to his mum Ann, to Sharelle and Charlotte from the Headway Oxfordshire charity, and Nathan Swift, community fundraiser at the Ronald McDonald House based within the Oxford Children's Hospital.

If Andy is selected as the regional winner, he will join other ITV Fundraisers at the star studded ceremony in London later this year, where the overall ITV Fundraiser of the Year will be announced.

You can watch Andy's finalist film, as broadcast on ITV Meridian News, below.

All of us at Play2Give as does the whole town of Didcot congratulate Andy for his well deserved nomination - and we wish him the best of luck! The regional winner will be announced on ITV Meridian News at 6pm on Friday (October 4th.