As 2016 ticks on so does a fresh new year for Play2Give as its fundraising drives doesn’t stop and the next few months are already looking promising with lots of events and activity goings on after our most successful year ever in 2015.
Super balls! Some of the P2G team including Andrew, front (with balls), and sponsors and supporters at the Children’s Hospital in January.
2015 saw us as a fundraising organisation raise the most ever with £13,532 distributed to three local charities – Oxford Children’s Hospital benefited from a record £9,439 alone last year.
Our fundraising year kicks off with a special football match host by Oxford City Football Club on Saturday (19th March) which will see two sides compete against each other in the clash of the football titans to see who will come out on top to win the coveted P2G Cup.
Proceeds from Saturday’s fun friendly 90-minute match at the football club near the John Radcliffe Hospital will be donated to Headway Oxfordshire and the Children’s Hospital. In September 2014 a P2G squad took on a team of staff from Didcot’s Sainsbury’s in the first ever P2G Match but unfortunately for Sainsbury’s it was a case of sour grapes and lemons as our side beat them 20-1 and claimed The P2G Cup.
This year’s P2G Stars are eager to retain the cup for a second time, and this time will be taking on much more (hopefully) exciting competition in the form of a team made up of charity representatives and supporters from the Headway charity in Kennington, Oxford – aptly called Headway Heroes.
This fundraising match we hope will net as much as £300 if not more into our fundraising coffers, and all the action kicks off at 5pm on the 3G Arena pitch. Spectators are most welcome to cheer on the sides.
Play2Give has been raising money for Oxfordshire charities since 2007, and over £45,940 has been donated – with over £36,410 of this donated to the Children’s Hospital. We have a target of £40,000 to raise in total for the Children’s Hospital (CHOX) in which to have our very own named room on the teenage ward at the hospital – we just £3,585 away from this very special goal. Hopefully Saturday’s match and our other endeavours this year will edge us closer to achieving this landmark total. Whilst we have given Headway £1,850 since 2014 through various fundraising methods, including book sales, fundraising parties, a team in the Monster race last year and part of proceeds raised by a superheroes spinathon last September.
Speaking on behalf of Headway, the charity’s events and publicity manager Charlie Hayes said: “We all have a special place in our hearts for Play2Give and all the amazing fundraising it has done over the years for its charities including for us at Headway Oxfordshire.
“Andy Baker’s tireless support for us means a huge amount to all of us and we would also like to thank Oxford City FC for supporting this event.”
Our other upcoming events including our charity disco on April 8th raising funds for Headway, together with our current running Easter egg raffle for the children’s hospital, on April 16th a team in the Monster Race 2016 and on May 7th a team of Ploddering Play2Givers will again plod on round the Oxford Uni Parks in the annual Oxford 5k Fun Run, and in July a mens football tournament which entries are now open to 6 a side teams.
Oxford Mail: New year starts for footballing fundraiser Andrew Baker