Unfortunately the Great North Run 2020 has followed so many other fundraising mass participation events this year and announced it will no longer take place. Whilst this is understandable as we adapt to life with social distancing, it is still likely to be hugely disappointing for would-be NPUK fundraisers who were looking forward to raising funds and awareness!
After a great suggestion from long-time volunteer Jan Patterson, we have decided to develop our own GNR fundraiser challenge, the Great NPUK Revival. As 2020 has been a year like no other, we want those in the community who are looking to fundraise, to base it on all things 20. Whether you love to bake, dance, run or sew, you can set yourself a “20 challenge” that suits you.
You are free to fundraise in anyway that suits you, just base it around the number 20. So this could be from walking 20 minutes a day to having a 20 hour movie marathon. Below are five fun ideas to get you started- but you can always come up with your own, the more creative the better! We hope that this will serve to revive 2020 and provide an opportunity to find a fun way to fundraise for NPUK!
1. Hold a virtual quiz night with friends and family:
Missing your local pub quiz? Or maybe you have been inspired by Terry Colwell’s quiz night? Why not hold your own?
You could create 20 questions, or perhaps have 20 rounds over a few nights, there are many great examples of quiz questions online if you are looking for inspiration. Grab a drink and get together with friends and family over Zoom and ask attendees to make a donation if they are able to.
2. Host a virtual cutest pet contest:
Think you have the cutest dog in the park? Or maybe your pet guinea pig could melt hearts? Why not gather with 20 others; adults, children and pets, over the internet and have a cutest pet competition.
Ask competitors to send in their cutest pet photo via email/social media and get an unbiased adjudicator to make a decision on the cutest pet. If you want more than one winner you could even organise different rounds such as fluffiest pet or smallest pet. Ask all the competitors to make a donation on entry into the competition.
3. Bake 20 baked goods:
Like everyone else you might have been honing your baking skills during lockdown. Perhaps you have the perfect banana bread recipe, or maybe you’ve mastered the dreaded sourdough loaf.
Why not put your baking skills towards a good cause and pledge to bake 20 baked goods? This could be all one batch of fairy cakes, or you could bake various different items in a day. Share what you are up to with friends and family via social media, and with those it is safe to see face to face, share what you have made. Ask people to make a donation to NPUK where they are able to.
4. Make 20 works of art:
If you have a creative flair, this is the perfect time to show it off! Set yourself a real challenge and over the month of July pledge to create 20 works of art.
20 works of art could be paintings, drawings or cartoons. But it could also include short poems, haikus, jokes, songs- whatever you feel your creative skills will show up best. Share them with friends and family online and ask that they give a donation. Perhaps you could base them on experiences in lockdown, what you see on your walks or maybe each work could be inspired by an individual who has made a donation to NPUK- it’s up to you!
5. Create a playlist with 20 of your favourite songs:
Think you are a bit of a music connoisseur? Or maybe you think you could make the cheesiest playlist on earth.
Why not get on Spotify and put together a playlist of 20 of your favourite tracks and share with friends and family perhaps via Facebook or email. Ask those who have played your tunes to make a donation to NPUK where they are able to.
So there you have it 5 ways to get involved with the Great Niemann-Pick Revival this July, but there are so many other ways you can get involved, check out our next blog post in August for five more ideas.
Once you have decided on what you want to do, you can set up a donation page via Virgin Money, Just Giving or through Facebook. NPUK have also set up a PayPal Giving Page to make fundraising super simple.
If you want any more information on this fundraiser or more advice on how to get involved, contact us by email at: info@npuk.org or by phone on: 0191 415 06 93.
