Age UK Lancashire hosts Covid-secure ‘Break Out’ fundraising event in Broughton

Ben Timberlake, Richard Taylor, Stuart Lee, Sharon Watson, Lisa Edge, Sushma Solanki, and Anne Oliver

Age UK Lancashire has hosted its first Covid-secure fundraising event in Broughton.

The charity event, Break Out, was supported by local business owners and leaders. It saw five participants locked up in a room at a secret location, with each one needing to raise £1,000 in bail money to be released.

Each participant had their desk and used their network of business contacts, friends and family to ask for donations to reach their bail target. Using email, phone calls and social media, they drummed up support throughout the day. The event also acted as a networking opportunity for the participants.

David Ward, from Age UK Lancashire, said: “We are delighted that we were able to put this event on during a challenging time for our fundraising team. The participants who took part were brilliant and so enthusiastic all day.”

The location was kept secret, but it was hosted by the Preston Marriot Hotel, who supported the event by donating the room free of charge.

David said: “This event was so important for not only Age UK Lancashire but also the businesses involved as it was one of the first opportunities they have had to get out and talk face to face.

“That created a good atmosphere, and they were encouraging each other to get donations in, and it ended up getting very competitive!”

The charity said the five participants raised £6,686 between them, which exceeded expectations and was a testament to how hard they worked to generate donations.

The participants included Lisa Edge from GB Shared, Sushma Solanki and Paula Whylie teamed up to represent Sushma Snacks, Stuart Lee of Genesis IT, Richard Taylor from Taylors Estates, and Anne Oliver from Age UK Lancashire.

David said: “We are grateful to each of the participants for giving up their time to support us. Unfortunately, we had a couple of people who had to drop out at the last minute, so our very own Engagement Manager, Anne Oliver, stepped in to fill the void.

“Paula Whylie ended up having to isolate but still got involved via video call from home. It just shows how enthusiastic our supporters and team are.”

Age UK Lancashire provides practical support for older people in Lancashire. Without the help of local people and businesses, many vulnerable people in the county would not get the vital support they need.

During the pandemic, they responded to 13,829 phone calls from people looking for help and made 16,242 calls to lonely older people. They helped 4,032 retain their independence after a hospital stay or with long term health conditions, made 2,904 calls to support people with dementia and their families, and made 22,566 visits to homes, helping with emergency shopping, prescription collections and cleaning.

David said: “Our charity has played a really important role locally both before and during the pandemic and we now hope to be able to continue supporting people and hope our fundraising efforts can go from strength to strength with the support of local people and businesses”.

For more information, visit the Age UK Lancashire website or call 0300 303 1234.

Would you take part in a ‘Break Out’ event? Let us know in the comments below