ANYTHING GOES!
Here at ShelterBox we are always impressed by our fundraisers – both their generosity and the kind of things people will do to raise money for us.
Some of the more extreme examples have included four girls who rowed the Atlantic on our behalf and one fundraiser who ran a 100-km ultra marathon in Lapland. We've also got a team of three running 150 miles across the Sahara in the 2008 Marathon Des Sables.
But there are also dozens of less dramatic ways of supporting our work. Every week, individuals and community organisations around the country do everything from holding coffee mornings to concerts and cake stalls. One family raised money by setting up a camera in a bird box and getting friends to guess how many eggs a blue tit would lay!
Every pound helps – and the other benefit of every fundraising event, large or small, is that they also play a valuable role in raising greater awareness of ShelterBox’s work.
Please see below for our latest fundraising news.
You make it happen
Unlike some organisations, ShelterBox only has a tiny core staff – and is one of the ways we keep costs down which means we tend to rely on supporters to organise fundraising events. However, we are more than happy to provide what support we can in the form of brochures, leaflets, posters, sponsorship forms and demonstration boxes etc.
Thanks to our SKYDIVING friends at
CLICK
& JUMP for an really original way to raise money for
us!
For all our Corporate Fundraisers and City Teams wanting action, try joining up with our friends from ACTIVE
The ShelterBox Challenge
One of the more popular fundraising weekends is the ShelterBox Challenge on Dartmoor, Devon.
The Challenge involves teams of four tackling a 30-mile course with the choice of carrying a ShelterBox loaded with all the kit needed for an overnight camp.
A mass participation day for all levels of fitness who are then split into categories; Elite, Advanced and intermediate (or just come and walk the dog).
The 2009 Challenge will take place next March. Email us to reserve your team's place, and details will be sent to you nearer the time.
Fundraisers take to the high seas in Pirate Raft Race
The Pirate Raft Race begins
Spectators braved the wet weather to support local teams in a Pirate Raft Race at Praa Sands, Cornwall. The event raised around £350 for ShelterBox. There were ten teams in all, dressed in pirate costumes. The rafts, made from barrels and pallets, among other things, bore pirate flags. One raft was made from a bath tub, while another – manned by ‘city boy castaways’ in torn business suits – had a computer on board. Prizes were given for best fancy dress, best raft, and to the winning team.
Tandem 'End-to-enders' visit ShelterBox HQ
L-R: Ian Maynard, Ness Jackson, Rob Latham and Mike Latham.
Mike and Rob Latham, two brothers from Cheddar, Somerset, visited ShelterBox HQ on their way from Land’s End to John O’Groats by tandem bicycle. The pair expect to raise over £4,000 for ShelterBox. Setting off from Land’s End on Monday 4th August, they plan to reach John O’Groats on Saturday 16th August, travelling through their home ground of Cheddar, Wales, the north of England and, finally, Scotland. They are accompanied by their friends Ness Jackson and Ian Maynard, plus a support team of three.
ShelterBox fundraisers complete Sahara marathon challenge
Mark and Wanda tackle 'the steep bit' of the Marathon des Sables
Two fundraisers have completed the Marathon des Sables, an ultra marathon across the Sahara desert, running in aid of ShelterBox. Wander Summers and Mark Finch, from Praa Sands, Cornwall, ran six marathons in seven days, raising almost £2,000. The pair trained for two years on the South West Coast Path to prepare for the ultra marathon. The Marathon des Sables or ‘Marathon of the Sands’ is held annually in Morocco and is said to be the toughest race of its kind. Participants run 156 miles in total, in temperatures reaching 55 degrees celsius. Wanda, who also works as a personal trainer, has already planned her next challenge – a marathon across the Gobi Desert in Mongolia next year – and plans to run in aid of ShelterBox again. Mark and Wanda also plan to row the Atlantic in 2012. Thank you very much to Mark and Wanda for completing this incredibly tough challenge!
ShelterBox takes part in RNAS Culdrose Air Day
Children learn about ShelterBox at RNAS Culdrose Air Day
ShelterBox was invited by RNAS Culdrose to take part in their annual Air Day in Helston, Cornwall. ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) members set up a tented village at the event to simulate a real situation following a disaster. They were on hand to show visitors how to use the equipment that is sent out in a ShelterBox, and provided samples of food that the SRT members take with them on deployments. They also answered questions about what is in the boxes and gave out children’s ShelterBox T-shirts. Ed Cox, Training Manager for ShelterBox, said: “We have a fantastic relationship with RNAS Culdrose, and we were honoured to take part in Air Day. Undoubtedly, the wet weather had an effect on the turn-out, but there was still a good crowd. There was a lot of interest in ShelterBox from visitors and, luckily, our tents provided a warm, dry place for them to shelter!” Donations totalled more than £250.
Jump for ShelterBox
A fundraising challenge for the daredevils among you… On Friday 12th September 2008, we aim for 30 ShelterBox supporters from all over the country to take part in a charity tandem parachute jump. If you would like to be one of them, please click here to register.
The jump will cost £290 and participants are encouraged to raise this amount in sponsorship. For a sponsorship form, please email David Glover.
