My name is Kate. I live in Cardiff and run a Leadership & Management Development business with my partner.
We have two children; my daughter Holly is 25 and my son Josh is 18. In my younger years I was not a fan of exercise and didn’t really get interested until I was in my 30’s when I started thinking more seriously about health. I started with cycling and walking mostly. I joined a local gym three years ago. The last ten years I have got into running and joined a local relaxed Run Club last year. I now exercise at least 5 times a week and have made so many friends as part of this too. I am probably the healthiest I have ever been as I approach 48.
Can you describe the event?
We held an evening of music and games at Cardiff Golf Club on Friday the 21st of March – with just over a month to go hopefully people were convinced I was on track to finish 😊
We had a small local band (including a run club member) playing relaxed music whilst everyone settled in and we sold bingo and raffle tickets. My Partner’s brother then sang about 10 songs and got everyone on the dancefloor. Then it was time for Bingo and the Heads / Tails game using fun facts about the London Marathon. After that Cathays Brass (another member from our run club played cheesy pop so got the dancing going again. We finished with a raffle and the auction with some chilled music to send everyone on their way.
How did you do it?
We contacted friends and family for favours 😊
My partner is a member of the Golf Club so we could get the room significantly cheaper. Once we agreed a date, we sent out a save the date to everyone we knew (social media and WhatsApp). Then we just tried to create a buzz by chatting to people we knew; this is when we got momentum. The musicians offered to perform, people started offering raffle prizes and started confirming they were free to come. My mate who is a complete extrovert and sometimes performs on Casualty was happy to run the bingo for us. I started firing of emails (inc. Charlotte’s proof letter) and popping into local businesses to try and get raffle prizes. Cardiff City Football Club and a friend donated signed merch which we used in the auction (these items raised £85 each). As we the event drew nearer, we sent out messages again with a poster and more info on the night. We included the link and asked people to start booking their tables / places.
I’d like to thank my partner, Cardiff Golf Club, the music acts, lots of local business who donated raffle prizes, the bingo caller, friends helping to set up and my kids (big kids) selling the bingo and raffle tickets.
We had attendees of all ages – from my children’s friends to my Mum & Dad’s, work colleagues, family, neighbours, run club friends, gym friends and school mates.
Why did you do it?
Raising £2,000 for blind and partially sighted children felt a big target and we thought a night like this would put a dent in that – it surpassed it 😊 My partner had the idea for us to organise a fundraising charity night, I was sceptical as I was nervous no one would turn up – how wrong I was! We had 120 people plus extras from the bands.
How much did you raise?
We raised a phenomenal £2,266.
What surprised you?
How many people came along and supported it, the donators, and how generous people were on the night.
Would you do organise this type of event again?
Definitely, I felt that rather than just ask people to sponsor me, they got something out of it too as they all had so much fun.
What’s your advice for other team members?
- Tap up everyone you know – if they haven’t got something you need free or cheap, they may know someone who has. We borrowed a tombola from a lady I had never met and she donated a hamper too!
- Use social media to keep the interest going
- Get a good compere – Kev got everyone involved really early on by introducing each table and getting them to have a cheering competition to win a bottle of Prosecco. They were wild and this set the tone!
- When asking people to come, offer them they can bring friends and family and book a table for them. I think some attendees wouldn’t have come just as a couple alone, but when they could fill a table with their mates they were happy to commit. This also helped with the numbers too.
- Keep the event tickets cheap – we did £10 a ticket and advised there was no food. We decided that it was better for them to pay extra money towards the bingo and the raffle as the charity would gain from this. Raffle tickets were £5 a strip and bingo was £5 for a strip with 6 tickets. The heads and tails game was £1 to play and £1 a go if they wanted to stay in. This meant that people spent just over £20 for all the music, dancing and games.
Would you recommend it to others?
I certainly would – it coincided with my first 20 miler two days later and the success and generosity of the event kept me going when it got tough 😊
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