Category: Fundraising
Gary Barlow tribute artiste to host gin, jammies and spa evening in support of local hospice
Join Dan Hadfield, the number one Gary Barlow tribute artiste, as he hosts Gin and Jammies: Just the Tonic on behalf of St Barnabas Hospice.
The third lockdown has been tough for so many people, so St Barnabas Hospice has launched their Gin and Jammies: Just the Tonic event to give their supporters a relaxing and unique night in filled with local entertainment.
Taking place online, the event will be hosted by Dan Hadfield, the number one Gary Barlow tribute artiste. As well as hosting, Dan will be performing some of Gary and Take That’s greatest hits live!
Also on the night, join Amy Conyard, co-owner of the Pin Gin brand and director of Next Frontier Brands, as she puts on an interactive gin tasting and cocktail making session. Relax with Nicola Young from Beautiful Panda and take part in her interactive ‘at-home’ Temple Spa beauty session, and hear from Sarah Barker and Lottie Donaldson from Addicted to Scents on their introduction to wax melts.
Tickets to this exciting event are priced at just £20 per person, which gives access to all of the above, plus a special party pack for each attendee. In the party pack you will receive a sample of the brand new St Barnabas gin made in collaboration with Pin Gin, mixer, a shopping list to make gin cocktails on the night, mini Temple Spa beauty products, a silk eye mask and wax melts from Addicted to Scents.
One lucky ticketholder will also win a luxury hamper!
Dan Hadfield, host for the evening said, “We are running an amazing online event with St Barnabas Hospice to raise money for the amazing things they do for individuals and families across Lincolnshire. We’ve got cocktail making, gin tasting, spa and beauty treatments, wax melts to burn, and a bit of music on the side sung by yours truly.
I cannot wait to be there; it’s going to be amazing! There’s a hamper to win and lots of things to do. It’s going to be the greatest night of our lives!”
Rebecca Hooton, Fundraising Officer at St Barnabas Hospice added, “It has been devastating for us to cancel so many events due to the coronavirus pandemic, and our estimated losses now stand at around £2 million. This is why we are delighted to be hosting Gin and Jammies: Just the Tonic, as it means we can reconnect with many of our supporters and give them ‘the greatest night of their lives!’
The evening will be full of local entertainment and I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved. Tickets are already selling fast, so come and join us for a fabulous evening!”
Tickets can be purchased from www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/ginandjammies. For more information, email fundraising@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or call 01522 540 300.
Puddleducks Daycare are taking part in the Bunny Hop in support of parent who is terminally ill
Caroline Baker, owner of Puddleducks Daycare recently took part in St Barnabas Hospice’s Rudy’s Run fundraiser and is excited to be raising more funds with our Bunny Hop. We caught up with her to find out more:
How many children do you have in your early years setting?
We have 24 children (15 families) that attend our setting at different times throughout the year. Some are here all year around when others are with us school term only.
Why did you take part in Rudy’s Run and will you be taking part in the St Barnabas Bunny Hop?
Everyone has found the pandemic extremely hard and we didn’t think it could get any worse. Then we found out that a parent, Sam, within our setting had terminal cancer. This affected everyone and we wanted to do something to help.
Our duckling mum Sam is a very strong person and would never want self pity so we decided to take on the challenge of Rudy’s Run to give a little back to St Barnabas who have been amazing. Because the Rudy’s Run went so well, we will be taking part in the Bunny Hop and we can’t wait to get started! Our motto will be to ‘hop into a brighter future’ which we feel is perfect with coming out of lockdown too
What happened on the day?
Every under 5 year old did a mile, with some doing even longer, the older ducklings ran 5km after school.
Over the two weeks we would set off in the mornings to our local park to follow a course. We had lots of cheers and donations along the way with people supporting us which really made the children beam with delight. Alongside this, we had set up a Just Giving page where we managed to raise £2,095, which absolutely blew us all away.
Our target was £200 but in the first 24 hours we had smashed this and the total started to rise.
On the day that the children took part in Rudy’s Run, we also had a Christmas Dinner with crackers and all the trimmings and a visit from Santa. We played party games and also sang Christmas songs. Every duckling thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and talked about Rudy’s Run for ages.
Myself and my husband are so lucky that we are in a job that we absolutely love. We have 3 grown up children of our own who also will step up to the challenge whilst working alongside the most amazing families and children ever. When a child joins our setting they are not a number but become a part of our duckling family.
How fun did you find raising money for St Barnabas in this way?
Everyone at Puddleducks thoroughly enjoyed raising the money. The best thing we did was to set up a just giving page. Every parent then shared it on social media. The children were so excited when people sponsored us. Every morning we would see the growing total whilst reading out the amazing messages that every had left us.
How much did Puddleducks raise for Rudy’s Run?
We raised £2090 which was above and beyond what we had set out to raise.
What sort of feedback did you get from children and parents?
The children and parents loved the whole experience. The excitement on the build up to the event was brilliant. Everyone put their heart and soul into the event. The children were particularly excited! This was so important with the daunting things that were happening around us and was a really welcome thing to focus on.
Did Rudy’s Run have a positive impact on the children’s mental health?
Most certainly, and seeing the smiles on each of the children’s little faces said it all.
What are you most looking forward to about the Bunny Hop?
To raise lots of money for St Barnabas, but also for the children to have something positive to look forward to, while having fun along the way.
Tony Lake and Lindsay Nearn are taking part in Don’t Quit, Get Fit in memory of Tony’s grandma
Tony Lake and Lindsay Nearn have taken part in ‘Don’t Quit, Get Fit’ to raise money for St Barnabas Hospice in memory of Tony’s grandma. Their challenge was to run 100km each in January, as well as completing an additional 17.5km run from LJM Homecare to St Barnabas.
In total, the pair have raised more than £600 for the Hospice.
Tony said, “We decided that we wanted to push ourselves to feel healthier and raise money for a charity which we have worked closely with over the last few years. Both of us have battled with our weight in the past and have lost considerable amounts of weight. It’s the greatest feeling that we can now both do this!
“We have had regular contact with Paisley from St Barnabas who has been very keen to see where we are up to with our fundraiser and if there is anything else she can do to help. The positive support received is just brilliant and inspires us to push harder.
“I have worked closely with St Barnabas since 2012 and on a personal level, St Barnabas helped my grandma to get out of hospital and back home for her final days. It would be hard to find a single person in the area who hasn’t known someone that has been helped by St Barnabas.
“We are inspired to exercise by the fantastic feeling of accomplishment, mental health aid and generally feeling so much healthier in every aspect of life. As said by Kano Jigoro: “It is not important to be better than someone else, but to be better than yesterday.”
Tony and Lindsay are already planning their next challenge, which will be completing the Three Peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) within 24 hours.
Don’t Quit, Get Fit is completely free to sign up to. Those who create a fundraising page on JustGiving as part of their challenge will also receive a free St Barnabas water bottle.
Make a positive change in your life today, just like Tony and Lindsay, and sign up at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/dontquit
Jason Baker is taking part in Don’t Quit, Get Fit in memory of his mum
Jason Baker is planning to take on a marathon run this year for his ‘Don’t Quit, Get Fit’ challenge in support of St Barnabas. He fundraises for the Hospice in memory of his mum, Heather Baker.
Jason said, “Mum was diagnosed with metastatic cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease before spending her final weeks at the St Barnabas Hospice in the Hospital in Grantham. 
“My two brothers and I all took it in turns to stay with Mum overnight at the Hospice and the staff there could not do enough to help us. We often had takeaways and they made sure we had everything we needed.
“Mum was so proud of her Scottish heritage and we used to go up to Scotland every year for our holidays. She enjoyed a “wee dram of whisky” and always had “one for the road” even in her last days at the Hospice. The nurses told us mum would be gone soon and they helped us to play her favourite Scottish music and allowed us to give her a few drops of her favourite whisky.
“She passed away with dignity and in a peaceful environment.”
Already, Jason has been doing lots of running to raise money for St Barnabas. His reservoir challenge in 2020 saw him complete 14.8 miles of running around Draycote Reservoir, Ravensthorpe and Pitsford Reservoir.
Jason said, “I was having a think about my mum and thought how proud she would have been to see me running. That’s when the lightbulb moment happened… why don’t I run all three reservoirs together?
“My wife, Rachael inspired me to run. She had been running around two years before I decided to give it a go and I really admired her physical and mental strength. I was struggling with my mental health and looking back I think this was a delayed reaction to the passing of my mum. 
“My top tip for new runners is to set a goal to keep the motivation. Keep remembering that positive buzz you get after completing a run and don’t give in as it will get easier.
“When I first spoke to St Barnabas about my fundraising, their support was amazing. I had regular phone conversations with updates on the training and the fundraising pack, running shirt, neck scarf and gels were brilliant. I also joined their private Facebook group for other fundraising supporters like myself and the support and encouragement I got from this group was incredible.”
Don’t Quit, Get Fit is completely free to sign up to. Those who create a fundraising page on JustGiving as part of their challenge will also receive a free St Barnabas water bottle.
Make a positive change in your life today, just like Jason, and sign up at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/dontquit
Robin Mapleston is taking part in Don’t Quit, Get Fit with his son, Jack!
This year, Robin Mapleston and his son will be completing the challenge of climbing the UK’s tallest mountains (Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon) within a week, as part of St Barnabas Hospice’s ‘Don’t Quit, Get Fit’ campaign. This follows on from a swimming challenge that Robin took part in last year where he swam 21 miles (the distance of the English Channel) in 21 days!
Robin said, “I very badly tore all my ankle ligaments in September 2020 and wanted a challenge to keep me active whilst I recovered. Swimming has always been a big part of my fitness routine but to challenge myself to swim further than I had done before over a short period of time was the perfect test. Raising more than £1,000 for St Barnabas (including Gift Aid) was an amazing way to stay focussed! Now I have this under my belt, I feel more confident my ankle will be ok to take on the mountains.”
£1,000 is an incredible amount of money and would fund 28 physiotherapy or occupational therapy sessions to help patients maintain their independence.
Robin added, “I started supporting St Barnabas Hospice after my mum was diagnosed with cancer. My son and I wanted to do something to raise money for a charity close to her heart, and she asked us to choose St Barnabas. Mum had a number of friends who were cared for by the Hospice, so it brings it close to home for us.
“Having the St Barnabas Fundraising team there to support me through my challenges has been invaluable. Whether it is a formal piece of support or simply a “well done,” it means the world when you’re in the middle of a challenge.
“I think that keeping fit and healthy is inspiration in itself. Once you break through the wall that inevitably hits everyone that takes on a challenge, you find a feeling of being alive and happy. Exercise has been so helpful for me during the pandemic. More so for children, where I run Zoom fitness sessions for my under 13’s rugby team to keep them exercising whilst schools and sports groups are closed.”
Don’t Quit, Get Fit is completely free to sign up to. Those who create a fundraising page on JustGiving as part of their challenge will also receive a free St Barnabas water bottle.
Make a positive change in your life today, just like Robin, and sign up at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/dontquit
Mike Bosnell is taking part in Don’t Quit, Get Fit with his dog, Florrie!
Mike Bosnell took up running during the first lockdown using the ‘couch to 5k’ challenge and then joined St Barnabas Hospice for ‘Gone Running’ along with his partner’s dog, Florrie. He has now taken up the Hospice’s ‘Don’t Quit, Get Fit’ challenge and will be using it as training for the Great North Run in September.
Mike said, “There could be no better cause than St Barnabas and I want to do my bit to repay the kindness and care they gave my mum when she passed away.
“My dad once said to me, “your mum’s the best friend you’ll ever have,” which was so true. Mum was caring, loving and always there for me. We had many laughs over the years and our love was unconditional. When she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I was simply devastated. It is still so very hard now; even the simplest of things can sometimes bring tears.
“St Barnabas came to her house and cared for her, allowing her to remain at home until she passed away. Their care was unbelievable, and it had the personal touch.
Mike is currently doing two four-mile runs and one six-mile run each week as he trains for the Great North Run. His plan is to slowly build distance in order to reach the thirteen-mile target.
Mike said, “Running gives me a massive fitness boost and has greatly helped with a heart and blood pressure condition which I was diagnosed with. My most recent annual check-up was the best I have ever had, with both my heart rate and blood pressure being normal! After telling my doctor about the running I have taken up, he told me not to stop and explained in more detail how the running was helping me.
“For anyone just starting out with running, my main piece of advice is to get the correct running shoes. I went to Lincolnshire Runner, explained the type of running I was doing, and they did the rest for me! I also think you need to be sensible with distances and always make sure to warm up.
“For my Don’t Quit, Get Fit challenge, I will be maintaining my three-day running programme each week along with Florrie. The support I received from St Barnabas has been second to none. They have helped with everything from running kit to suggested training programmes and are always on the end of the phone if I need anything.”
Don’t Quit, Get Fit runs from January to March 2021 and it is completely free to sign up. Those who create a fundraising page on JustGiving as part of their challenge will also receive a free St Barnabas water bottle.
Make a positive change in your life today, just like Mike, and sign up at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/dontquit
‘This Dad Can Run’ blogger is fundraising for St Barnabas Hospice in memory of his father
Austin Sheppard is the inspirational St Barnabas supporter behind the ‘This Dad Can Run’ blog and Instagram page. His running journey was inspired by his children and he now uses this platform to support other runners, talk about mental health and raise vital money for charities. One charity which he has recently been supporting is St Barnabas Hospice, who cared for his dad, Alan, during the last few weeks of his life.
Austin said, “Dad was a larger than life character in many ways; he would talk to anyone and everyone, making time to ask people how they were. I have so many great memories of running and walking together with him. 
“In 2014 Dad had a fall at home and hit his head. The hospital raised concerns about his breathing and discovered that he had been living with fluid on his lungs and heart. They were amazed he had survived so far. Further tests showed he had stomach cancer and he received the terminal diagnosis in September 2014.
“St Barnabas looked after Dad very well in his last few weeks when his condition had deteriorated dramatically. Their care was so needed, and I feel thankful that he had their support.
“He enjoyed banter and chats with the staff, and they were able to support him to move from the Grantham Hospice in the Hospital back to his house, which was his final wish. He came home on the Saturday and passed away the following Monday, exactly where he wanted to be.
“After he passed, my mum was able to access the St Barnabas bereavement counselling group where she made friends that she is still in regular contact with. The wider support for the family is so important and has been a lifeline for Mum.
“Donations from Dad’s funeral went to the Hospice, but I have been thinking for a long time about doing something else to support them. So, the hat campaign was born!
“I wanted to do something that stood out and captured people’s imaginations, so I sourced and funded a large bulk order of ‘This Dad Can Run’ bobble hats and began giving them to anyone who made a donation to St Barnabas through my JustGiving page. Around 40 have been given out so far, and I think we are on track to raise in the region of £800!” 
This January, St Barnabas Hospice launched a free virtual challenge for supporters to take part in, called Don’t Quit, Get Fit. The Hospice are challenging people of all ages and fitness levels to get up off the sofa and get active in any way they choose.
Austin said, “The Don’t Quit, Get Fit initiative looks great! With 2020 and 2021 being the way they are, having a virtual challenge is the perfect way to start a fitness journey. The extra motivation of setting up a JustGiving page and raising funds for St Barnabas is sure to help you on the way, and they are even giving out free water bottles to anyone who pledges to fundraise.
“Personally, I absolutely love the idea of taking on a long-distance running challenge like running 34 miles – the equivalent of running between their Lincoln and Grantham buildings.
“Some people might be thinking that exercise isn’t for them, but I want to reassure those people that you can take things at your own pace and are capable of doing anything you put your mind to. Be brave!
“I always used to be active growing up, but had slipped into a sedentary lifestyle after retiring from rugby in 2017. My kids saw an old picture of me playing rugby and didn’t recognise me, so it was the wake up call I needed. I weighed 22 stone when I did my first run, struggled round the 5k circuit, but I did it! I continued to run every day that month, lost 1.5 stone and just carried on from there.
“Running has totally transformed my mental and physical health. I now run five or more times each week and have so much energy to do simple things like playing with the kids. My seven-year-old son sometimes joins me on his bike and even runs for shorter distances with me.”
Don’t Quit, Get Fit runs from January to March 2021 and it is completely free to sign up. Those who create a fundraising page on JustGiving as part of their challenge will also receive a free St Barnabas water bottle.
Make a positive change in your life today, just like Austin, and sign up at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/dontquit
Follow Austin on Instagram at @thisdadcanrun
St Barnabas Hospice kickstarts 2021 with a fitness challenge
St Barnabas Hospice is inviting supporters to walk, run, cycle or swim their way to fitness while raising vital funds for the charity to kick off the new year.
The Hospice has launched its new campaign ‘Don’t Quit – Get Fit’ to encourage not only its supporters to get fit, but to raise funds after a difficult 2020 for the charity. Those taking part can define their own challenge, whether that’s running the equivalent of a marathon, climbing the same amount of stairs as it would take to reach the top of Everest or just getting outside to exercise after the festive season.
Fundraising Officer at St Barnabas, Paisley Paddison said: “We’re so excited to be bringing this active campaign to life, we’ve had so much support for physical and active events before that we wanted to encourage people to work up a sweat again; making 2021 their year!
“Health and exercise are highly important to promote positive wellbeing and ‘Don’t Quit, Get Fit’ provides a great opportunity for those in our local communities to take on a fundraising challenge which will allow them to have fun, take in some fresh air and focus on something in a time that is very challenging and worrying for many.”
Caroline Swindin, Fundraising Development Manager said “With 2020 behind us, this is a great time to kick start your fitness in 2021, stay motivated, and whatever your age and ability set yourself achievable fitness goals and try something a little different to stay well.
“It is easy and free to sign up and our team is here to support you every step of the way. By raising just £71.40 will enable St Barnabas nurses to provide two hours of vital physiotherapy or occupational therapy for our patients helping to ensure that they live as comfortably as possible, for as long as possible.”
Supporters that register their JustGiving page also receive a free St Barnabas water bottle. You can register via a simple sign-up form, all the Hospice asks is that you try to raise a minimum of £71.40 in sponsorship money.
Emma Tatlow, Chief Executive from Active Lincolnshire said “Being active is so important for both our physical and mental wellbeing, getting outside and moving more boosts our mood, improves overall health and makes us more resilient to long term health conditions.
“It is our vision at Active Lincolnshire for more people in the county to move more often – we should all be aiming for 150 minutes of movement a week (that’s 26 minutes a day) and this campaign will certainly help to keep Lincolnshire motivated and moving during in 2021, in addition to supporting the vital work of the hospice.”
Those taking part can also gain free access to the private ‘Adventure With St Barnabas’ Facebook group, advice from professionals and a discount car for retailers specialising in outdoor and sportswear.
Tree-cycle Collections Cancelled
St Barnabas Hospice has taken the difficult decision to cancel its upcoming Treecycle Christmas Tree collection fundraiser.
St Barnabas CEO, Chris Wheway said: “Following the Government’s Tier 4 COVID restrictions announced on 30th December, we put a halt to new registrations for our Treecycle scheme whilst we reviewed the feasibility during these challenging times. The scheme allows our supporters to have their Christmas trees collected and chipped for a small donation, however after further discussion and exploring every possible option, we have decided to cancel all collections due to safety concerns.
“We are very disappointed to have to announce this, but safety is paramount – the Hospice is about caring for people, and we would never want to put people in danger. We have looked at all options, but due to the nature of the collections, we cannot facilitate this safely without the risk of potentially spreading Coronavirus.
“We are so sorry to let our kind supporters down. We have invested a huge amount of planning time and effort into the fundraising event, but we are confident that we can provide this service next year, once it is safe to do so. A huge thank you to each and every supporter who has donated, this money is so vital to support the Hospice and the care it provides to thousands of people each year.
“We had aimed to reach the donation total of £30,000 to backfill the deficit of losing the chance to hold huge fundraising events such as our Colour Dash, our Moonlight Walks in Lincoln and Stamford as well as our shops closures in 2020.
“The pandemic has once again cancelled a vital fundraising event. We are now seeking alternative ways to raise the crucial funds we need throughout 2021.”
Support for the scheme this year was strong, with more than 900 sign-ups and many companies including Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Lincolnshire Coop, Gelder Group, Travis Perkins, Daniel Charles Construction, Delta-Simons, Lincolnshire Showground, Ignite Stoves and Fireplaces, Continental Landscapes, Hilltop Tree Service, Simpson Arboriculture, Manor Farm Tree Services, KWR Plant Hire, Bytham Trees, Taylor Tree Services, Woodcraft Tree Services, TJS Tree Services, Arborez, Doddington Hall & Gardens, Gary Rook, KW Timmins & Sons, Down to Earth, Jane & John Kania, Lincolnshire Eco Arborists, Waterside Shopping and Fillingham Trees.
Chris added: “We must extend a thanks to all corporate partners, chippers and volunteers that were able to help. We are overwhelmed by your dedication to the Hospice and how, during this difficult time you have still offered your assistance.
Supporters who had arranged collections are being contacted via email about how they can obtain a refund if required.
Alternative options for collection and disposal include local council’s tree collections and scheduled green bin collections. Local refuse centres are also still open to dispose of trees.
The Treecycle scheme will return next year, with collections starting on Saturday 8th January 2022.
-ENDS-
Market Rasen Golf Club – Captains’ Charity Day
An article written by Professor Steve Armstrong of Market Rasen Golf Club
What a challenging year 2020 has been. One of my tasks outside of work has been to represent Market Rasen Golf Club (MRGC) as Men’s Captain during its 108th year of existence.
If anyone asks me in future years “when was you club Captain Steve?” I will have no problems remembering. Considering the 1.6-Million cases and 60,000 deaths in the UK alone due to Covid-19 it will be hard to forget the year 2020.
Amidst the chaos surrounding the pandemic that fell upon us, the Captains Committee of MRGC set about rescheduling a full year’s diary of events, fixtures and competitions (within guidelines published by England Golf).
Whilst a few events were cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control, the vast majority were rescheduled successfully. A particularly important event for us was the Captains’ Charity Day. This was rescheduled from 30th May to 26th September 2020. Our chosen charities were St Barnabas Hospice (Men’s charity) and Motor Neurone Disease UK (Lady’s charity). Following an extensive marketing campaign and an intensive search for sponsors, the event raised an amazing £7,374 to be split evenly across our two charities.
The event attracted forty-one teams of four players, with the first team setting off at 07.30, and the last team arriving back at the club-house close to dusk. Teams arrived not only from around the county of Lincolnshire, but also from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire. We are very grateful for all the support we received, including those from within the LIBS community.
