Never would ten years ago Play2Give imagine that it would become the flourishing success story that it is of today – a ‘labour of love’ to local charities. A decade later and we has gone on to change, transform and save thousands of people’s lives – and now new records have been broken!
Throughout 2017 we are celebrating our tenth anniversary. Late last year we set about with a £10,000 target throughout 2017 to mark our special milestone year. After months of tireless work, intense campaigning and a whole mountain of events, as a team we are now cheering hard after surpassing our original ‘£10k in 10’ goal after raising more than £16,000 so far!
This year has been Play2Give’s most successful year in history – and it’s not over yet with still a few more weeks to go. Our most busiest, biggest and action-packed 10 month appeal so far has seen the likes of fun days, spinathons, football tournaments, skydivers, glitzy balls, raffles, cakes sales and a school It’s a Knockout, to runners and walkers pounding pavements, sweat and tears roll in funds. However we are not resting on our laurels yet as we hope to bring in even more pounds before the end of the year.
Our 10th anniversary year was kicked off in style last December when a £1,000 donation came from the opening of the new Sainsbury’s Local store in Didcot – when Andy cut the ribbon marking the store’s official opening. The £1,000 donation contributed towards equipment for the Oxford Children’s Hospital and helped purchase TV stands for the youngsters staying in, as well as reclining chairs for Tom’s Ward by parents.
Over £13,530 (the previous record) was achieved in 2015, which included a year’s partnership of support from Sainsbury’s Didcot. Ware ‘chuffed’ to broken new records and with YOUR help we now set our aims in sight to raise at least £17,000 or more by December.
Funds raised throughout our 10th appeal year benefits the Oxford Children’s Hospital and Headway Oxfordshire.
Cash raised for the Children’s Hospital supports a new Ronald McDonald House, which once built, will provide 62-bedrooms in a new purpose-built accommodation for parents, new play areas and medical equipment. Funds for Headway supports the county’s first neurological physiotherapy gym in the voluntary sector helping to pay for customised specialised equipment.
Andy said: “We are absolutely over the moon, we are chuffed beyond words. This year has just been the most amazing yet and the most successful on record – never before have we raised this much money! It just shows the local community of Didcot and the county really have such love for P2G and taken us to their hearts to support our fundraising objectives so well year-on-year.
“To have smashed our initial goal but to break it and raise more than ever before is just special for our big special year. I never dreamt when I set up P2G a whole decade ago (that was just a single event of a football tournament then) that we would still be going strong and raising more and more each year.
“The money we raise makes a massive and long-lasting difference to the lives of so many with a real impact made and we are all about staying local to help local causes and people in need. Our hard and tireless work all year has really been worth it – and although we are ‘jubilant’ and ‘over the moon’ at our successes so far we still have much more to come.
“We are not giving up anytime soon, as we still want to raise as much as we can this year. The more we can raise the more the county’s sick children and those with brain injuries like myself will really receive life-changing amounts and lives changed.
“A big thank you to everyone so far who has helped achieve this astounding achievement already – and we are really thankful for the continued support, it is always heartwarming.”
We are are busy preparing for our stall at the Didcot Christmas Street Fair on 30th November; our third ‘Sleigh2Give’ campaign (annual toy drive for the children’s hospital) – an end of year festive party on November 24th, our own take on Britain’s Got Talent in conjunction with Willowbrook Leisure Centre on 18th November, and a Santa Run around Milton Park on December 8th organised by The Park Club on Milton Park.
Our recent record-breaking successes come after we recently received the news, see below in an earlier article, that we are in line for three prestigious awards. P2G received an incredible five nominations in this year’s Didcot Business & Community Awards (BACAS). We are thrilled to have been shortlisted in three categories – ‘Best Fundraising Innovation/Campaign’; ‘Partnerships and Collaborations’ and ‘Best Established Charity/Community Group’. The ‘Oscars of Didcot’ take place on 10th November at the town’s Cornerstone when the winners in 11 categories will be announced in an exciting gala evening interspersed with musical and talented performances.
We are also planning for 2018’s calendar of events of which its annual family fun day will return next summer bigger and better. And, we also have plans for many new events including an It’s a Knockout contest next May in conjunction with the Ronald McDonald House Oxford and Headway, which will raise funds for both charities, as well as many other events and initiatives.