This Christmas we’re asking if you’d consider making a donation to support the Bushy Leaze Family Support Charity. The charity exists to ensure that the Family Support Team at Bushy Leaze Children and Families Centre in Alton can continue to provide vital, life changing, family support and outreach to families with children age 0-5 in Alton and the local area.
The Team are able to offer up to 110 group places every week to support local families. These sessions help families dealing with isolation, anxiety, financial challenges and family crises – and offer a safe place, and opportunity to create vital friendships. However, as we have all seen, the rising costs of utilities, combined with cuts in funding and ever growing demand for our services means that we need your help.
Your support will ensure that the Bushy Leaze Family Support Team can continue to provide life changing services for local families.
These are our top five festive fundraising tips. We know that everyone is struggling but if you would consider doing one of the following it would make a huge difference:
Be social – set up a Facebook Fundraiser by choosing the option to ‘raise money’ when you post a profile update. Type ‘Bushy Leaze Family Support’ to select the charity – then explain why you’re choosing to raise money for the charity (you could use some of the text above, or write your own about why the charity and the work of the team means so much). You could ask your friends to donate to the fundraiser instead of getting you a gift. If you set a target of raising £40 in this way then that would provide outreach support for for a family in need. We can’t think of a better gift.
Be environmental – instead of sending Christmas Cards this year, why not make a donation to the charity instead. Did you know that a donation of
£20 allows a family with a child who has special needs to attend a Bushy Tales support group? You can donate to us via JustGiving here https://www.justgiving.com/bushyleaze
Be silly – Who doesn’t love a Christmas Jumper? Why not arrange a festive fashions day at school, work or just with friends and family.
You can decide to fine people who don’t dress up or ask everyone to make a donation. For a donation of £5 families can be offered healthy refreshments in the groups, ensuring they feel comfortable, valued and nurtured, a donation of £10 will fund a family attending one of our targeted groups, covering issues such as cooking on a budget, advice on returning to employment or how to cope as a first time parent.
Be creative – Christmas is a really busy time but its also the season of goodwill which means there are lots of different ways to raise money and have fun at the same time. Hold an office bake sale with a suggested donation for every treat consumed, host a Christmas movie marathon and charge friends and family the price of a film ticket to attend (with or without the popcorn!), arrange a Christmas crafting session and ask attendees to make a donation in exchange for the items they make and get to take away, or you could organise a secret Santa which includes a donation to the charity. However you want to have fundraise, there are always ways to make it FUN.
Be vocal – If you’re not able to give a financial donation, consider being an ambassador for the charity this Christmas. Tell all your social media followers about why the charity is so important. Encourage them to donate what they can. Talk to your employer, ask them if they select the charity and raise money, some companies do ‘match funding’ when they will donate the same amount that you raise for charity. Speak to your family and friends, urge them to donate the cost of a peppermint latte to the charity. See if your local sports club, team, pub, shop or restaurant would consider supporting the charity. It’s amazing what can be done just by talking about the important work of the charity and of the Family Support Team.
We don’t need everyone to jump out of a plane (although if you do want to, let us know!), it’s all the smaller things we can all do that will make a difference as a community. Thank you for your support, in whatever way you are able to help us, we need it now more than we have ever needed it before