This award goes to an individual or group who has made a significant contribution to a particular charity or charities over the year. They will have demonstrated great enthusiasm, passion and ongoing commitment to raising the profile of their charity and will have gone above and beyond in their efforts to put on their own fundraising events. The winner will have used innovative ways to inspire others to fundraise and accurately communicated the charity’s goals and the impact fundraising has had on the wider work of the organisation.
The winner is...
Plymouth Marrow have gone from strength to strength this year raising money for Anthony Nolan. From a record total for our society last year of just over £10K, they have currently raised nearly 11,000 and are hoping to raise another £2,000 in the next several months.
The society have done a fantastic job of building on the existing events they do every year such as the Plymouth 10K, Valentines’ Auctions, Silent Discos and much-loved bake sales and quizzes. They've also introduced many new innovative fundraising activities such as: Christmas carolling, a Naked Calendar and in the future a 5-a-side tournament. They also increased collaborations, inspiring sports clubs and societies who had never heard of the lifesaving work Anthony Nolan does to fundraise for them and help to increase the total of the lifesaving funds.
One of the major parts of the Anthony Nolan charity is fundraising, in order to complete the lifesaving research and supporting patients through the transplant, plus signing people up to the stem cell register.. Overall this year Plymouth Marrow has raised almost £11,000 and are aiming for another £2,000 over the next 2 months. This means that Plymouth Marrow has raised a 1/3 of UK Marrows (made up of 60 Marrow groups) total funds for this academic year.
Due to the strength of the nominations we have also awarded a Highly Commended Award to recognise this individual’s commitment and hard work throughout the year.
Zoe has always been actively involved in charity events and shows great enthusiasm and passion towards raising funds for the Anthony Nolan charity. She organised a 10k walk/run at the beginning of the year which raised £4,532, an increase of more than £2,000 from previous years, and took a main role in the Naked Calendar as well as the Valentines Auction.
Zoe’s enthusiasm and commitment to the charity is also demonstrated through running smaller scale events, such as bake sales, regularly throughout the year which she uses to not only raise funds but to engage other students in conversation and raise awareness of the aims of the charity and highlighting the importance of their work. Holding a range of large and small scale events throughout the past year has enabled Zoe to successfully raise a significant amount of money.
Shortlisted nominees:
From 23rd - 30th November 2019, the University of Plymouth Tennis Club ran the “Come Out Active for LGBTQ+ Equality in Sport” campaign to raise funds and awareness for Stonewall UK. Over the course of a week the club sold rainbow laces to support the LGBTQ+ community and promote inclusivity in clubs. The club also celebrated Rainbow Laces Day on Wednesday 25th November by encouraging other clubs to take part through the Sports Forum by purchasing the laces and wearing them on the Wednesday afternoon when they played their weekly fixtures.
UPTC used social media to promote the campaign – receiving orders from schools who distributed laces in their PE lessons – as well as a bake sale. In total they raised over £600 for Stonewall UK and due to its success they are hoping to carry on the campaign for years to come.
2019 saw the passing of Hurricane Dorian over the Bahamas, with devastating effects on Abaco island and Grand Bahama. Long before the commencement of the 2019 – 2020 academic year, the society’s committee began conceptualising ideas on how they could give back to a nation not only close to home but close to their hearts.
The society began raising awareness of the cause and charity, The Bahamas Red Cross’ Hurricane Dorian Relief and Recovery, at the Freshers’ Fair in September. While educating university staff and students on the devastation caused by passage of the storm and the relief efforts being undertaken in the islands, the society began accepting donations in exchange for tokens and entry into the Bahamas Raffle for the chance to win a prize. To follow up, the society held a bake sale on Wednesday 9th October. Through donations and entries into the Bahamas Raffle, the society raised over £300.
Through the society’s fundraising efforts, the Bahamas Red Cross has been able to further provide affected communities with emergency shelter supplies, hygiene items and other relief necessities.
Throughout the past year Imogen has become more and more involved in charity work with a range of different organisations for a variety of causes.
She has set herself goals to run a race for charity, as well as making changes towards a plastic-free life to combat issues with ocean health and micro-plastics. Imogen has also been working at the Age UK Day Centre, volunteering with the local community and sharing her experience with local charity organisations. As Charity Secretary for the Ladies Hockey Club next year she is looking to organise more fundraising events in addition to the events she’s participated in this year.
The Amateur Dramatics Society raised £500.07 for Devon Minds by running their ‘States of Mind’ campaign towards the end of the first semester. They held several small events where they raised money and awareness, such as a bake sale in the SU and a board games night where people could learn more about what Devon Minds do while relaxing and having fun with other people.
The society also raised awareness of the impact mindfulness has on people by having mindfulness walks every fortnight to increase wellbeing for members and any other people who wanted to attend. The campaign ended with their Winter Showcase which was all themed around 'States of Mind'. The showcase consisted of plays that had been written by members around the theme of states of mind. They also used the interval to share information about Devon Minds and the importance of taking time to improve one’s own mental health.