Leeds hospices' 40 anniversaries: 40 fundraising ideas to pay tribute to the much-loved institutions

This past week we have been looking at the history of St Gemma’s and Wheatfields Hospices and the impact they have had on people across the city.

And now, we’re inviting readers to pay tribute to both of the much-loved institutions by giving them a funding boost for their special anniversary year.

Leeds dad pays tribute to the ‘perfect care’ given to his late wife.

Believed to be the longest-running newspaper charity campaign in the country, our Half and Half Appeal raises money equally for both St Gemma’s and Wheatfields Hospices.

Since it began in 1982, we have raised over £2.9m – but we want to top £3m. To mark the hospices’ 40th birthdays, we’re asking if you can spare £4 for our ‘Four for 40’ appeal.

Simply donate online at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/YEPHalfandHalfAppeal to pledge £4 and leave your tributes to the hospices, which we will print the paper.

Alteratively, we’ve come up with a list of 40 charity challenges to help spark some fundraising ideas.

Let us know what you’re doing by emailing [email protected].

40 fundraising ideas:

1) Sponsored silence. Are you a chatterbox who will struggle to stay quiet?

2) Enjoy some tasty treats with a cake sale. It’s for the Half and Half Appeal so you could try baking up some half-half combinations such as chocolate and banana or coffee and walnut.

3) Organise your own fundraising auction and auction off your talents in a bidding war.

4) Organise a darts, snooker or table football tournament

5) Do a sponsored event – such as swim or bike ride. Why not swim 40 lengths of your local pool every day for 40 days to celebrate the hospices’ 40th anniversaries?

6) If there are lots of you, why not do a ‘relay’ style event to raise cash, taking it in turns to sit in a bath of beans, or run on a treadmill. You could do 40 minutes each?

7) Fancy dress fun. Get dressed up in the name of charity.

8) Cash collection. If you are having an event such as a wedding anniversary party, family birthday or Christening, simply collect donations.

9) Organise a raffle.

10) Hold a quiz.

11) Bring and buy sale. Books, home-made jam, bric-a-brac - anything you think would work.

12) Strike it lucky with a bingo event. Charge a fee per game.

13) Put on a concert for friends and family.

14) Get sponsored to do a litter pick.

15) Charge anyone you know to wash their cars.

16) Show your flair with a fashion show. Charge for tickets.

17) Face painting. Stick with the ‘Half and Half’ theme, so how about painting faces two colours or even different animals on each side.

18) Guess the number of sweets in a jar.

19) Jewellery making/selling. Put your creative skills to good use and hold a sale with what you make.

20) Guess the name of the teddy. And you can raffle it off after the game to raise even more cash.

21) Nearly new sale. Sell or swap your unwanted things with your friends? Make a donation to each item you take.

22) Plant sale. For those with green fingers.

23) Treasure Hunt

24) Tombola. Get friends and family to donate gifts and organise a tombola.

25) Photo caption competition. Ask people to bring in a funny photo or baby picture and get players to guess who’s who for a donation.

26) Guess the weight of the cake. You can sell slices afterwards for more money.

27) Colouring competition. Print a picture off and photocopy, ask children to colour it in for a donation.

28) Vegimals – hold a competition to make an animal out of a vegetable.

29) Fill a jam jar with coins. Put a piece of paper in each empty jar for children to decorate and stick on the jar when full. Hold a competition for best-decorated.

30) Get sponsored to give up one of your vices – chocoloate, wine, refined sugar, for a week or even a month - or perhaps 40 days, to keep with the ‘40th anniversary’ theme. Or donate the money you would have spent that month on said vice.

31) Choose a colour-themed hamper and ask for donations of single items of that colour from friends, family, workmates, schoolmates. Raffle off the hamper.

32) Hold a book or DVD sale. Clear out your old books or DVDs – you can even sell online.

33) Hold a garage sale yourself or encourage your neighbours to join in and sell their unwanted items.

34) Shave your hair for a worthy cause.

35) Hold a Man Vs Food challenge for sponsorship.

36) Pay a fee to have a dress down day at work.

37) Do you know some musicians? Have a battle of the bands night.

38) Fancy yourself as a cook? Get together with friends for a Come Dine With Me-style night.

39) Hold a coffee morning in aid of the Appeal.

40) Film fans could organise a charity film night. Get guests to donate on entry and sell snacks and drinks for the Appeal.