fundraising for Macmillan Cancer support group Champion fundraiser, Geoff Stonebanks, tells us how he has fared this year, raising money for his cherished charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, through his Driftwood Fundraising Group. He’s been raising money for them since 2012 and the grand total to date is an incredible £85,000. What a strange year he’s had with his fundraising for 2020. The annual garden trail had to be cancelled, which should have taken place at the end of July, his own garden, Driftwood remained closed all year and the monies normally raised from a grand raffle at Driftwood failed to materialise due to the pandemic. Geoff tells us that in 2019 he and his volunteer team of garden owners and helpers raised in excess of £14,000 for the charity. He decided to set himself the target of trying to raise £5,000 this summer and as it transpired he hit just over £4,000 but still not bad with the challenges that had to be overcome. By the time the decision was taken to cancel the trail, back in April, 17 gardens had signed up to open. Geoff asked owners if they could make a short film of their garden, which he would edit and add music to. Several agreed and Geoff went out and filmed some of the others himself. The net result was 12 of the 17 had virtual tours available to view on the trail website www. macmillangardentrail.co.uk and were jointly viewed almost 2,000 times over late July and early August! Adam and Dan, owners of 11 Rugby Road in Brighton, were scheduled to open and decided to sell products, including plants, they would have been selling at their summer events, out in front of their garden. They donated a percentage of all their June sales to Driftwood Fundraising Group. Jan Wilks from Peacehaven contacted Geoff, knowing he had been struggling to raise funds, as his garden was closed. She said she was so bored during lockdown that she made facemasks from fabric she already had at home. She raised over £1,000 and wanted to give half
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to Macmillan, which she donated to Geoff. Geoff too had organised a fundraiser on social media for his birthday in April and raised nearly £500. Other online fundraisers were set up too. Debbie Pryer, a volunteer at Stanford & Cleveland Community Garden, which was also scheduled to open in Brighton, suggested the volunteer team there donate plants and sell them to passers by and ask them to log on and donate to the Just Giving site Geoff had set up. They raised over £1,000, a great team effort again, enabling Geoff to hand £4,106 to the charity for 2020. Sarah Coxhill, Area Relationship Fundraising Manager in the South East wrote to Geoff and said, ‘I have returned from a period of furlough to hear what incredible work you have continued to do (including continuing to raise thousands, in addition to much needed coverage) despite everything thrown at what would normally be such an interactive face-to-face event. I am eternally impressed with your tenacity, drive and commitment to Macmillan and the awareness alone it delivers to our cause – we have never needed it more and it heartens me enormously to see your familiar name pop up leading the way of how things can be done in times of adversity. A huge thank you and congratulations from me’ Fingers crossed the trail will take place on 24th and 25th July 2021, and Driftwood can open its garden gate too. See Geoff’s proposed 2021 open dates at www. driftwoodbysea.co.uk. Photos from top: Geoff with TV gardener, Christine Walkden and Macmillan’s Head of Volunteer Development, Ruth Leonard in 2019; Jan Wilkes with her hand-made facemasks.
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