How Fundraising Helps

Perennial is often described as a ‘lifeline’ by the people we help. Now during the coronavirus crisis your fundraising will make a real and lasting difference to lives. You can read about some of our service users’ stories here.

What your fundraising will do

£25 pays for a new school uniform for the child of someone struggling to make ends meet

£50 will pay for a car alarm to be installed for an elderly or disabled client

£150 will pay for a TV licence for a client whose only companion is the TV

£200 pays for 10 sessions at a nursery for a baby whose parent is critically ill

£500 will help furnish a flat for someone who was previously homeless

£750 pays the removal fees for a client fleeing domestic violence

£1,000 will buy a new boiler for a family living without hot water or heating

How to get your money to us

Online – The easiest way to get your sponsorship money is by setting up a page via JustGiving:

Alternatively, you can send us a donation here.

Let us know what you’re up to

Don’t forget to tell us what you’re doing to raise money and send us photos and video of your event. You can share your story on our Facebook page, tweet about it on Twitter, or email events@perennial.org.uk

You can read about some of the people Perennial has helped here →

Challenge Events 2023

Our Challenge events are a great way to push yourself to do something you’ve always wanted to do whilst raising money for a great cause. We offer a range of experiences to make sure everyone has the chance to get involved. Take a look at what’s on this year:

Marathon May

Walk, run or cycle a marathon throughout the month of May and elevate your fitness levels whilst fundraising for people in need of a helping hand. Whether that’s taking part in an organised marathon or simply jogging around your local park, we challenge you.

What will I need to do?

1. Decide how you’ll take on the challenge. Are you going to walk, run or cycle? 
2. Visit our Just Giving page here. Once on our Just Giving page, click the orange ‘fundraising’ button to setup your own page. It’s important to do this via our page so they’re linked together. 
3. Spread the word! Share your page with friends, family and social media.
4. Once May rolls around, it’s time to start your marathon. Encourage support by recording your progress on your Just Giving page with an app such as Strava. Make sure to show off all that hard work!

Firewalking

Engage in a mental and physical challenge this year by taking part in Perennials’ Firewalking event in October. Taking place at our very own York Gate in Leeds, the inspiring experience will be a creative fundraising opportunity for those looking for something a little bit different.

Book your place by clicking here. There’s a small registration fee of £25, after that raise just £150 to participate. You can read commonly asked questions and the terms and conditions here.

Watch UK Firewalk’s video below:

In May last year, Bridgman and Bridgman took on the Benidorm or Bust Challenge. They drive Roxy; a thirty year old rover from Milton Keynes to Spain and raised over £2,300. Chris Bridgman said “’We wanted to support the Horticultural Industry Charity that could in the future help and support our staff, colleagues, friends or our own families in times of need. Perennial is a fantastic charity and a lifeline to so many.” 

If you fancy the challenge you can register for Benidorm or Bust here

or find other bust rallies here.

You can read about how our fundraising helps here →

Fundraising Ideas

We have come up with a list of ideas that you could do at home by yourself or in your local community with a small group of friends. Why not try one of our ideas below…:

A

Afternoon Tea – Ready to host the most elegant British afternoon tea? Ready to argue over how ‘scone’ is pronounced? Whether it is at home or at a local venue, get your cups of tea at the ready!

Alphabet Party – Host a party where each person dresses as something starting with a different letter of the alphabet. Maybe host a competition for who has the best outfit! Charge a small entry fee to be able to dress up!

Award-winning Harvest Veggies/Allotment Auction – Do you grow your own vegetables? Why not challenge yourself throughout the year and try growing your own carrots, onions, potatoes, or runner beans. If they are good enough set up a ‘Allotment Auction’ and sell your prize-winning veggies!

B

Bake Sale/Bake Off – Can’t go wrong with a bit of cake! Get everyone in the community to bake up some treats and sell them. Or if you bring your cakes into your work or school you can ask for donations. Challenge your friends to a bake off and sell the winnings, do you have what it takes? If you do run the event at school or work, make sure you find out about any intolerances and allergies.

BBQ – Fire up the grill for your neighbours, friends and family and have a charity BBQ Day.

Book Sale – Got some unwanted books cluttering up your shelves? Raise money by selling on your most loved books!

C

Coffee Morning/Cocktail Making Evening (18+) – Most people rely on a cup of coffee to get them through the day so what better way to fundraise! Whether it is at work or outside it will be easy to gather donations when people want that drink! Maybe it up join up with a bake sale? If you’re bored of your normal coffee morning, why not switch things up with cocktail making? Get the ingredients to make your own at home with your friends! Suggest either an entry fee or a small donation for each drink and see where the night takes you!

Come Dine with Me – Just like the TV show! Have four evenings of three course meals and raise money to see who the secret chef is!

Car Boot Sale – Got some old junk that you need to get rid of? Sell them to the community and donate the funds.

D

Decades Party – Pick a decade and dress up as that decade! Charge an entry fee or ask for donations. Maybe make it into a competition for who will win the best costume!

Dog Competition – Do you have any talented pups? Let them show off their best tricks and vote for who the winner is!

Drawing Contest – Have you got any drawing skills? Challenge your friends and family to a contest!

E

Eating Challenge – How many crackers can you eat without water? How many marshmallows can you fit in your mouth? Find a food challenge and raise those funds! Breaking a world record for something can help you gain coverage and increase your fundraising.

Exercise/Endurance Challenge – Get sponsored to do 1000 squats or hold a plank for as long as you can. It can either be a one-off or continue to do something for 30 days!

Eurovision Party – Get everyone to dress up and represent a different country. Charge a small fee to guess the facts – closest guess wins! E.g., How many acts use wind machines/wear sequins/sing about love?

F

Football Match – Get a group of friends together and play a game of football. Charge teams to enter.

Fun Run – If you don’t think you could achieve a marathon, a fun run is the next best thing! You can either get participants to raise sponsorship money or pay an entry fee.

G

Give It Up Challenge! – Whether it is eating chocolate or biting your nails we all have bad habits we could give up! Kick a habit and raise money at the same time. Set a time and create a JustGiving page to make it easier for people to donate. Over the years people have raised money by giving up chocolate, crisps, alcohol, smoking and meat.

Games Night – Whether it is Monopoly or Jenga make it a fun night! Get a group of people together and battle it out with your favourite board games. Charge an entry and raise money as you play!

Garden Camp Out – Spend a night camping your garden in support of Perennial! Set up a JustGiving page and have a sponsored sleep!

Guess? – Whether it is guessing the name of a teddy bear or guessing how many sweets are in a jar people love a challenge and gives them a chance to win a prize! Perfect fundraising idea to take to your gardening clubs and horticulture society.

H

Harry Potter Party – Come dressed as your favourite character and charge an entry fee! Or team up as the houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin) and do competition-based activities!

I

International Evening – Hold an international themed evening with your friends and family. Hang all the different flags up, cook all the different dishes and wear all the different clothes. Find out more about your favourite countries and charge an entry fee!

Irish Night – Whether you have Irish blood or love the music, dedicate an evening of celebrating the Irish culture! You can hire a space or have a party at home. Why not charge people for Irish dance lessons?

J

Jam making – is your garden home to a fruit tree? Excess fruit means desserts and jam! 

Jigsaw Puzzle Competition – Have a knack for Jigsaw’s? Hold a local competition!

Jumble sale – you know the saying! One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Gather all those unused bits and pieces lying around your house and jumble sell for a charity donation! A good declutter in exchange for a good cause.

K

Karaoke Night – Whether you are a great singer or should probably save your singing for the shower, karaoke nights are great events and fun for everyone involved!

Knitting Evening/Marathon – Get your needles ready! Set up a JustGiving page and get sponsorship money and see who can knit something the fastest. If you have previous knitting experience, you can knit something nice and sell it at an auction.

Kayaking – Set up a charity kayak race and hit the water!

Line Dancing – Hire out a venue and get your dancing shoes on! 

Livestreaming – Not only are you able to do anything from the comfort of your own home you can reach a much wider audience with livestreaming meaning you are more likely to raise more funds. Whether it is a talent, hobby or challenge people will be able to donate easier with a JustGiving page.

Litter Pick – Clean up the environment by picking up litter. Set it up as an event on JustGiving and raise sponsorship money at the same time.

Lawn Mowing – Offer to mow your neighbour’s lawn for a small donation? They’ll be thankful for the help, and you’ll be raising funds for Perennial at the same time.

M

Marathon Events – Don’t just scroll by this suggestion! Marathons don’t have to mean running! You can do roller-skating or a marathon DJ set. Whatever you decide to do make sure you set a time or distance that you will complete. 

Matched Giving – Ask your employer about matched giving. Whatever you are raising get your employer to double it!

Murder Mystery – Murder mystery parties are a lot of fun with friends and can be done in your own home. Ask for a small donation from each guest.

N

Nearly New-Sale – Need a new outfit on a budget? Do you have an item of clothing you’ve only worn once? Why not sell your unwanted clothes between your friends? Pay £2 for each item you take.

All Night Long – Know any DJs? Get everyone together and stream a set for the whole night! Raise sponsorship money!

O

Open Mic Night – Host a comedy night and get everyone involved! Hire out a venue and charge an entry fee.

Office Olympics – Challenge your colleagues to complete against each other!

Open Garden Event – Do you have a garden that could be shown off? Why not open your doors to the public and charge an entry fee? Perfect fundraising activity for Perennial!

P

Plant Sale – Grow your own plants and sell them, raising funds for Perennial!

Pancake Race – Get flipping and sell your delicious pancakes! Or create a flipping competition and charge an entry fee!

PJ Day – Come into work or school into your PJs! Not only will you be comfy, but you will be raising funds for Perennial!

Q

Quiz Night – Test your knowledge and get everyone together for a quiz night! Charge for an entry fee and split the donations half for the winner and half for Perennial!

Quintessentially British Day/Party – Have a day of tea, scones, bad weather and everything British. Charge an entry fee and tie together bake sales and tombolas to help with raising funds!

R

Raffle – Ask local businesses to donate prizes to your raffle and invite people to take part either in-person or online! Works great as an event on its own or can be part of a separate fundraising event.

Read-a-thon – Get reading for Perennial and raise sponsorship money!

Rock Climbing – Set a challenge and see who can complete the rock-climbing event first!

Run – Why not join a team of people for your fundraising event! Or set yourself a challenge (e.g., run 50km in a month) and raise sponsorship money!

S

Street Party – Get your neighbours involved in a street party.

Adult Sports Day – Remember the good ol’ days by setting up a sports day for you and your friends!

Swear Box – Do you have a potty mouth? Maybe set a challenge between family members or colleagues to see who will crack first! Let’s see how much you really swear during a month

T

Talent Show – Got a special talent that you want to show off? Whether it is telling jokes or singing get together with your friends and family! Charge an entry fee and showcase your talents.

Teddy Bear Picnic – Perfect for all ages! Get families together and bring your teddy bears! Charge an entry or suggest donations.

Table Tennis Tournament – Think you have what it takes to win a table tennis tournament? Charge people to take part or raise sponsorship money!

U

Ultimate frisbee – Get a group of people down to your local park and set up an ultimate frisbee competition. Charge people to enter and see who wins!

Unplug From Tech – Get sponsored to completely stop looking at screens. How long can you go for?

University Challenge – Battle it out against your rivals and host your own University Challenge event. Showcase your knowledge!

Upcycle – Grab some old junk that be changed into something new and sold on.

V

Vegetable Growing – What vegetables can you grow? Let your neighbours know and suggest they leave a small donation for each vegetable they pick.

Vintage Sale – Set up a vintage stall at a local event. Find your old clothes and furniture and sell it on. Or maybe do a vintage clothes swap with your friends and family if you don’t have the time to organise your own stall.

W

World Record Attempt – Whatever it happens to be if you can attempt breaking a world record you will find it will easily get attention on social media! Means you will find it easier to raise sponsorship money!

Wine Tasting (18+) – Enjoy your own favourite drinks at your wine tasting event. Whether you go to a venue or do it from the comfort of your own home, you can still raise money by charging entry fees or suggesting donations. Maybe add some cheese for a great pairing!

Walk – Doesn’t matter on the length but you can raise sponsorship money by going for a walk. You could do it alone and get a group of you walking!

X

X Marks the Spot – Create a treasure hunt around the town for the whole community. Great for kids and families. Charge an entry fee or suggest donations.

Xbox Tournament – Get all your friends together for an Xbox tournament! If you live stream the whole event it will be easier to raise sponsorship money. Maybe set up a length of time you will be gaming for, will you be able to pull an all-nighter?

Y

Yoga – Are you obsessed with yoga? Run your own class and get people to pay to enter or suggest donations.

Yes Day – Get sponsored to say “Yes” to everything! Maybe get your manager involved? 

Yo-yo Contest – Challenge your friends to a yo-yo contest! Who has the best skills?

Z

Zero Waste Day – Can you go fully zero waste for week? Set a challenge for yourself and see how well you do.

Zumba – Whether you are a Zumba teacher or just love it as a hobby set up a class for your next fundraising event.

Zip Wire – Do you love the idea of a zip wire challenge or are you afraid of heights? Get a group together and raise sponsorship money!

Zodiac Evening – Throw a party where each person comes as their star sign! Can you guess which one people are?

Whatever you do, don’t forget to tell us about it!

Contact Us

We want to know how you’re planning to raise money for Perennial!

We can support you with publicity, marketing collateral, and help you make sure your fundraising event is as successful as possible.

Contact the Team to let us know – email the events team on events@perennial.org.uk or business partners can email Kate Cooney or Phil Swainston.

Alternatively you can call our team on 0800 093 8510.