Fundraising for the New Year

premature birthI don’t know about you, but I am sick of New Years resolutions. They just don’t work for me – I end up making a huge list of all the things I want to change, and by February I have given up on most, if not all, of them. 

So this year, I am doing something a little bit different. I am making 2017 the year I do more for others, rather than concentrating on changing myself. 

As many of you will know, 3 of my babies were born prematurely. Jacob at 34 weeks, Max at 36 weeks and Eliza also at 36 weeks. Jacob and Max both spent time in special care Our first baby, Gemma, was born 2 weeks late, but was poorly, and also had to be admitted to the special care baby unit.  

The work that special care baby units do is incredible – without them I might not be sitting here with my 4 children around me. The staff are kind, supportive and always ready to answer any questions, night or day. But where do you turn for emotional support, practical and financial advice? How do you get help with all those everyday things that suddenly become overwhelming when you have a tiny, poorly baby in a hospital ward?

Bliss offers emotional and practical support to empower families and equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to provide the best possible care to their baby, for however long they live and for however long their stay in neonatal care.

Bliss provides information about caring for premature and full term sick babies at every stage of their hospital journey, and after they have gone home.

Bliss helped us when we were dealing with babies in special care, juggling childcare, worrying about car parking charges and leave from work, and trying to understand and prepare for what the immediate and longer term future could hold for us and our babies. 

Research has found that a New Year’s challenge linked to charity could help you stick to it – 28 per cent of Brits say that they would be more likely to adhere to New Year’s resolutions if they involved a charitable cause, according to a survey of 2,000 respondents.

So this year, I want to show Bliss what a difference they made for us, and give something back. I am fundraising for the charity, using the BT MyDonate platform. BT MyDonate is one of the few platforms available to UK charities that doesn’t take commission or charge charities a monthly fee or registration fee. That means charities can receive an additional £3.60 per £50 donation with gift aid when using BT MyDonate – and that additional dosh could make all the difference! Fundraising pages are set up for social media sharing too, which makes it easy to get your page out there. 

I have pledged to do something realistic – something I think I can manage. I am not one for bungee jumps or skydives, so I am aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day, every day, for 3 months. This has the additional benefit of helping me remain healthy and get some exercise (two of the resolutions I usually make and break), and should be attainable with 4 kids and a job as a maternity care assistant in a busy hospital!

If you would like to donate to Bliss, you can find my fundraising page here – and remember, every little counts!

BT MyDonate

If you fancy giving something back for 2017, BT MyDonate are hosting a competition called ‘Donation Doubler’. Every new registrant to the site who raises £100 in donations (including gift aid) before February 20th 2017 will automatically be entered into a prize draw with five people randomly selected to have the money they have raised matched up to a value of £1,000.

* This post is in association with BT MyDonate. Bliss will receive all fundraising profits. *

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1 Comment

  1. January 15, 2017 / 8:11 pm

    What a great charity and a tough challenge, good luck!

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