Oxfordshire fundraising organisation Est. September 2007 Founded by Andrew Baker MBE BCAv
​Changing, Transforming and Saving Lives across Oxfordshire | Thames Valley Charity of the Year 2020
​Patrons: Dr Winston Ellis & MP David Johnston OBE | hello@play2give.org.uk
Play2Give - Thames Valley Charity of the Year 2020
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Charities congratulate our Founder for twenty years of fundraising

2/16/2022

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Charities helped by Play2Give congratulate our Founder Andy for his 20 years of support!

We would like to share some of the lovely congratulatory messages that some of the charities we help and support have shared this week as Andy Baker marks twenty years of dedicated fundraising.

The Oxford Children's Hospital (CHOX) has been supported by since our beginnings. We have raised over £85,000 for the hospital since 2007.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail last week, Sarah Vaccari from the Oxford Hospitals Charity, said: "Andrew Baker and the Play2Give team have been huge supporters of the Oxford Children's Hospital. Andy watched the hospital being built while he was a young patient and had an ambition to raise £500 to support our hospital appeal.
"Twenty years on he and the team have raised around £85,000 through their football events, sales, balls and family fun days. It is wonderful support and we are delighted to congratulate Andy on this fantastic milestone."

In May last year at the start of his role as Didcot Mayor, councillor Mocky Khan chose our fundraising organisation to help us raise funds and awareness. So far Mocky's events have included a barn dance, a festive fun run and a coffee morning.

Mocky said: "Andy Baker is a community champion and has become a local legend due to his hard work and fundraising through Play2Give. I am amazed by his commitment and dedication, and passion to help others. When I became Mayor, I wanted to help to raise funds, and help Andy and his team. This is why I chose Play2Give as one my Mayoral charities along with Coeliac UK. I do not know where Andy gets his energy from to arrange and organise so many fun events and to have done this for 20 years is outstanding. Well done Andy, congratulations and keep going!"

We have raised funds for Sobell House since late 2020, with funds of over £1,000 inspired in the memory of our late supporter, Angela Norris, who received palliative end of life care at home in her final weeks, after being diagnosed with stage four small cell lung cancer. 
Speaking to the Oxford Mail a spokesperson for the hospice charity said: "At Sobell House we are so grateful to Andy and Play2Give for all the support they have given to the hospice. Andy's kindness and generosity shine through in everything he does. He is such a good friend to so many."

SSNAP, the charity supporting families of sick babies in neonatal care at the John Radcliffe Hospital, said: "SSNAP would like to say a huge thank you to Andy Baker MBE BCAv and his Play2Give team for their incredible support of SSNAP. Over the last ten years, Play2Give has regularly supported SSNAP by fundraising, giving monetary donations and donating gifts for parents and their families on the Neonatal Unit, every Christmas. We really can't thank Andy and play2give enough!"

And finally Headway Oxfordshire, who have benefited from our support both through funds and through gifts over many years. In total nearly £20,000 has been raised for the brain injury charity since Andy became a service user for his own rehabilitation nearly ten years ago.

Charity CEO Jamie Miller said: "The relationship between Andy and Headway Oxfordshire (HWO) is one the defines the very idea of "giving back". In supporting Andy to overcome some of his personal challenges as a consequence of brain injury, Headway Oxfordshire has helped him to gain new skills, improving his resilience and overall independence. We are delighted to see how Andy's confidence has increased as a result and how he has used this confidence to support others through his amazing charitable work with Play2Give. His generosity towards HWO is hugely appreciated. In giving back like this, he has helped those friends he has made at HWO and also created a perfect circle in our relationship. We wish Andy and Play 2 Give all the best with their ongoing endeavours for the future."

It is heart-warming to hear of so many warm messages for Andy's good work as we commemorate his two decades of services to charity. We as a fundraising group also turn fifteen years old this year, in changing transforming and saving lives across Oxfordshire and beyond. 

So many people's lives young and old and families have been enriched over twenty years, through a passionate founder in Andy who has been dedicated to making a difference and all inspired by his continued repayment of thank you back to the healthcare teams who cared for and treated him since birth. 
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Andy hits a special two decade milestone in fundraising

2/14/2022

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Andy outside the Oxford Children's Hospital that started it all off in 2003. Andy's dream aged 14 to raise £500 for the funding of a brand new children's hospital has turned into over £380k across twenty years later for good causes.
20 Years of Fundraising for Andy

Today marks a special milestone in fundraising for our Founder, Andrew Baker MBE BCAv.

Today, Valentine's Day, is exactly 20 years to the date Andy raised his very first £1,000 for the Oxford Children's Hospital (CHOX), so we want to celebrate his special achievement with you.

On 14th February 2003, Andy raised the first grand for the funding appeal to build the Children's Hospital that stands today.

With a dream to raise just £500 at St Birinus School in Didcot as a way to say "thank you" to the hospital teams who treated him, the Non Uniform Day in year 10 was just the start for the spur of fundraising. Andy galvanised and enthused the support of his fellow pupils and teachers to support his crusade to help make the specialist hospital a reality.

Through a series of imaginative, fun, wacky and everyday fundraising activities at the school, and into the sixth form and beyond including Play2Give's series of football tournaments, a catalogue of events, numerous cake sales, tombolas, raffles and more have all been held.

His relentless dedication, determination and motivation to continue giving back for the doctors who have given him so much of his life back, has resulted in over £380k raised two decades on for a wide number of children, health and disability causes - both through events and the value of Christmas presents raised.

Oxford Hospitals Charity, Headway Oxfordshire, SSNAP (Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents), Footsteps Foundation, Sobell House and many more including countless thousands of individuals and families have all benefited over the years. 

Andy's inspiration to raise funds initially whilst in year 10 at St Birinus was the result of treatment received from birth after being born with a brain injury, and more notably the brain surgery on 5th February 2001, aged 12.

Despite living with his disability, Andy refuses to be held back and has remained committed and motivated and has really drawn in the support of the local community, and all those around him - family, friends and the Play2Give team - to help and support over 40 causes, individual families in need and with it, a catalogue of events.

Now, our fundraising organisation prepares to mark our 15th year milestone with an aim to raise £15k in 15 across this year - events planned include the return of our football tournament in July, a colour fun run and a family fun and music on the park day.

Despite all challenges and hurdles healthwise in his life, Andy has never given up. He has dedicated half of his life to fundraising - which has earnt both us and Andy some special awards and recognition along the way, including a British Citizen Award in 2017, the Thames Valley Charity of the Year 2020 and for Andy the the highest honour of them all, an MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours 2021.

Here's Andy celebrating his 20 years and £380k milestone outside the Oxford Children's Hospital on 5th February, which coincidentally was 21 years to the date since Andy's brain surgery at the old Radcliffe Infirmary.

In total for CHOX alone we with Andy have accumulated around £85,000 to date, which includes our very own patient room on the teenage ward funded at £40k which treats adolescent patients with long term hospital stays.

What a fantastic achievement!

Pictures courtesy of Sarah Vaccari, Oxford Hospitals Charity
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