Today, on the final day of the year, we are delighted to share some fantastic news that we have raised the most amount of money ever in our history
We have raised over £20,000 in our milestone fifteenth anniversary year.
And what a year it was as it was also full of more celebrations and another landmark milestone for our very own Andy. To raise a total of over £22,000 in 2022, and especially more so in the latter part of this year with the impact of the cost of living crisis, our achievement is incredible!
And, today we say a big thank you to our wonderful supporters, who have helped us to achieve this incredible total, as we couldn’t do it without our community of supporters.
2022 was also a big year for Andrew Baker MBE as he reached a momentous twenty years of fundraising, a milestone he officially achieved in February on Valentine’s Day.
And, on September 13th the date we officially turned fifteen years old in birth, we also celebrated our new legal status going from a fundraising organisation to a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), which has only but opened up even more doors for us.
All throughout the year we have been commemorating our 15th birthday year where we set out to raise £15k in 15. It’s certainly been another action packed and busy one.
Now, we are delighted to share such positive news to end the year and what better date than today, on New Years Eve.
In total this year we have raised in funds alone £22,260.41!
We have raised the most in funds ever in our 15 years, and we didn’t think we would top our record 10th birthday year in 2017 when we raised over £19,500.
We was even awarded as one of the Didcot Town Council‘s Community Champions in March and in September we was a Fundraiser award Finalist in the BBC Radio Oxford Make A Difference Awards.
Mr Play2Give reaching two decades of fundraising for good causes earlier this year is an extra special cause of celebration for over £22,000, and this year will go down in the history books as our best year ever. What a really fabulous way to end Andy’s landmark year in two decades of tireless charitable work.
And, for Andy it all began with a dream to just raise £500 while a schoolboy at St Birinus School in 2003 to help build the Oxford Children’s Hospital.
This year and to mark our commemorative year we have held 4 tombolas, 8 raffles, 3 cake sales, a danceathon, our football tournament and our third gala ball Hollywood style to Halloween and Christmas parties, 3 rock and roll bingo nights, 2 brave skydivers, a ladies night and the Didcot Festive Market amongst much else.
This was the year that also saw us have our best ever 8th Sleigh2Give Christmas Appeal too, where we estimate to have raised around £40k-£50k in value of Christmas presents.
And our best Easter appeal distributing hundreds of Easter eggs in April to children in hospital and the less fortunate.
Looking back what an exhausting but brilliant year!
Oxford Children’s Hospital, SSNAP – Support for the Sick Newborn and their Parents, Headway Oxfordshire, Sobell House and Helen & Douglas House are just some of the children, health and disability causes we helped this year. For the Children’s Hospital alone this year we’ve provided £3,830 – funding medical equipment, toys, games and for patient comforts for youngsters and their families facing the most toughest of times.
Style Acre, Angels Performing Arts Didcot very own Off the Streets charity and Thomley have also benefited from our tireless work this year alongside Viking House in Oxford.
Funds raised also help us to keep on doing more so that we can raise even more and keep on making a very real difference locally.
Once again we salute you for helping us to help our community this year and for helping us to raise such an impressive amount surpassing all previous years to make our birthday year end on a high.
If you’ve been a part of our success and this incredible year in any way, then thank you, we salute you and we wish you a happy healthy and prosperous new year.
Here is to 2023 and the new year ahead where we have some of our popular events returning such as our football tournament, ladies night and gala ball, as well as plans for more.
We can’t wait to share it all with you and once again an enormous thank you for helping us make our 15th year so special.