Fundraising events are an integral part of our daily life. The first British charity was officially founded in the 12th century. But even before that, there were traditions to help the disadvantaged, homeless, sick and orphans. And charity in England was first legislated during the Tudor rule – more than 400 years ago. One of the honorable missions of the royal family is to lead charitable projects and help people in every possible way who are deprived of normal human benefits by their origin or due to current circumstances.
In today’s England, fundraising events are clearly controlled by state structures, many commercial, insurance and investment companies, banks have their own funds, and a large part of the country’s population participates in charity in one way or another, and from a very early age.
Examples of fundraising events in the UK
Even small children are taught to the idea that there are children in the world who do not have everything as wonderful in life as they do: some do not have their own room, toys, warm clothes, and some babies do not have close people or even simply have nothing to eat. Recently, a charity marathon was held in the kindergarten for a whole week, with the sale of homemade cakes and an exhibition of children’s drawings that parents could buy. And the money raised was used to purchase cots, bed linen and even renovate a children’s room in one family living on the brink of poverty.
Even from kindergarten, children are taught to the idea that there are children in the world who do not have everything as wonderful in life as they do: some do not have their own room, toys, warm clothes, and some babies do not have close people or even simply have nothing to eat. Recently, a charity marathon was held in the kindergarten for a whole week, with the sale of homemade cakes and an exhibition of children’s drawings that parents could buy. And the money raised was used to purchase cots, bed linen and even renovate a children’s room in one family living on the brink of poverty.
In schools, charity is very popular. These are school fairs and quizzes for parents, which are held together with wine tasting, and the cost of the ticket is transferred to the charitable fund. It is also the annual Warriors Memorial Day in November when almost every resident of Great Britain buys a scarlet poppy flower for 1 pound and attaches it to his/her clothes or car.
There is such a day in England as Jeans for Genes, when absolutely everyone who wears jeans donates 1-2 pounds to the account of a charity that deals with the problems of children with genetic disabilities. The BBC and its Children in Need project are constantly collaborating with schools and conducting various campaigns to raise funds for sick and needy children. Before Christmas, children in schools decorate an ordinary shoe box with brown paper, write who it is for a boy or a girl, fill it with various necessary things – mittens, socks, small toys, pencils, felt-tip pens, etc., and then school transfers these boxes to poor families.
In the fall, that is the Harvest Festival: all the children bring vegetables, canned food, soups in cans, cereals, pasta, which will then feed the needy people from the area. Read books are sold at book fairs. At school uniform sales, you can buy used uniforms brought by the parents of their grown children. Winter and summer fairs are very big events in school life. They hold lotteries, prize draws, attractions, games, sales of confectionery, national dishes, drinks, cotton candy, and all the proceeds go to charitable foundations, including abroad: to Rwanda, Kenya, Nepal. Last summer, there was a bike marathon on a simulator, where volunteers took turns pedaling all day long, hoping for a generous donation.
By the way, there are quite a few examples of charity work combined with sports in England. This includes races at different distances, swims in the river, rowing, bike rides, and races. The most famous and most popular is the London Marathon. The principle is as follows: if you want to take part in such a charity event, you need to register on the organizer’s website, you will be given a package with various symbols, posters and badges. Then you will need to find sponsors who are ready to support you financially. The fact is that to participate you need to collect a certain amount of money. Many people willingly contribute funds because in England there are some tax benefits for participants in charitable activities, and this business is so popular in England that no one will understand the refusal, it will only ruin the reputation. And the amount of participation is already at personal discretion. When you collect the required amount, you can try to go for a record and collect even more, and then proudly complete your race or swim. Often, the funds raised at such events go towards solving and researching health problems. For example, cancer or heart disease.
There are an incredible number of examples of charity in England. One of them is thrift stores. In fact, these are second-hand stores. People bring their old, unnecessary clothes, dishes, shoes, children’s toys, etc. there. By the way, this is very convenient. What, for example, should you do with things that children have grown up from for a long time, or toys that no one plays with? These wonderful charity stores are just for such cases. Few people consider it shameful to shop in thrift stores. There are always a lot of people and there are discounts too. There are also book shops where you can find old books for every taste. The proceeds go to the development of research medical centers, help to patients, both in England and abroad. Most of the lease of charitable premises is paid by the state, volunteers work there, so their number is simply huge. And they are mainly located on busy streets – English high streets.
There is a whole set of ideas for fundraising events in the UK. In England, you can raise money for any reason: don’t smoke for a whole month – make an event out of this, find sponsors, and donate the funds to charity. You don’t shave your beard, don’t drink alcohol, don’t use a car – all this is also a reason for self-promotion and at the same time taking care of others. What about a Red Nose Day? Put a round ball on your nose and fool around all day: you help old women cross the road for a nominal fee, hold a party for friends with entrance tickets, or a paid lottery, or a karaoke tournament with a set fee for each song, sell old junk on eBay, organize a sale in your garage, etc. And all the proceeds – only for charity!