Plenty of philanthropic millionaires and billionaires pledged some of their wealth to help in the fight against COVID-19. But there are also everyday heroes who did incredible things to raise money to tackle coronavirus, with some like the late Captain Sir Tom Moore raising millions. Click or scroll through as we profile the ordinary people around the UK who became extraordinary fundraisers during this global pandemic.
Ollie and Lucy from SWW Marketing, a Cambridge-based marketing agency that works with the construction industry, decided to run 100km over 10 days, each running around 10km every day. Their fundraising effort was in aid of The Trussell Trust, which provides food to more than 1,200 UK food banks as well as food parcels to those in crisis. The running pair smashed their target of £500, raising £1,060.
While most companies are at least able to make a saving on their overheads during this difficult time, zoos still have to keep their animals well looked after, regardless of whether they have visitors or not. Artist Chloe Turner from Norfolk wanted to help Banham Zoo to cover its running costs and so decided to set up a competition with one of her paintings as a prize, as well as afternoon tea at the zoo once social distancing is over. The 21-year-old raised £1,650 for the zoo, which she often used as inspiration for her creations before the pandemic.
School PE teacher Rafferty Gunn was supposed to have run the London Marathon last April, but like all other large gatherings it was cancelled due to the pandemic. Undeterred by the setback Mr Gunn decided to run the marathon anyway, but with a twist. The teacher ran the entire 26.2 miles in his garden – which added up to 7,033 lengths – and he did the entire thing wearing Crocs. His reasoning was that NHS workers wear the shoes for entire shifts, so why not run his marathon in them? Rafferty raised over £11,800 for NHS Charities Together, which is more than double his original target.
Rajinder Singh, 73, likes to keep active and has a particular penchant for skipping. The fitness fanatic has been posting workout videos on his YouTube channel, 'Raj Skipping Sikh', which he has put together to help those who are missing their daily exercise. His videos include skipping (of course), running and even mowing the lawn. Raj is also raising money for the NHS through his love of jumping, and so far he’s raised over £14,000 via his JustGiving page, which has far surpassed his £5,000 target.
Another centenarian inspired by Captain Tom’s magnificent efforts – this time in support of the North West Ambulance Services and their continued work in the battle against coronavirus. Win Page had been looking forward to her 100th birthday as an opportunity to see family who live all across the world, but as that wasn't possible she decided to celebrate her birthday in a different way. Every day for 10 days, Win completed 10 lengths of her driveway supported by her walking frame and after completing her challenge she managed to raise a total of over £19,000 for the NHS ambulance service via JustGiving.
Maureen Lightbody served during World War II as a signaller dispatching ships from Belfast Lough as they made their way to the Normandy beaches – 77 years later she decided to do her bit for the nation once again. Maureen walked 1,000 paces every day from April 2020 until her 95th birthday in July, 95 miles in total, to raise money for Macmillan as it continues to support patients with cancer through the pandemic. Originally Maureen had hoped to raise £1,000 for the charity, but her walks raised a total of £20,000.
Essex-based Buskerteers Choir decided that they wanted to use their natural talent to raise money for the NHS via "busking". Social distancing rules meant that busking had to take place online via video instead (pictured). Asking viewers to donate just £1 and pass the video on, the group was featured on BBC News and shared by celebrities such as singer Frankie Bridge. The choir raised more than £30,000.
Olivia Herring decided to turn the simple game of 'rock paper scissors' into a fundraiser for the NHS by encouraging parents to play against their children, with the added element that the winner gets to squash a cake into the other’s face. The 12-year-old set a donation target of £500, but Olivia’s idea has long surpassed the goal. As families continue to nominate each other to play the figure has skyrocketed, and the 'Cake in ya face' fundraiser has now raised over £31,700.
A community choir in the UK hasn’t let lockdown get in the way of its rehearsals as members are continuing to sing together virtually. London City Voices decided to record a special rendition of You’ve Got a Friend by Carole King in order to raise awareness and funds for Women’s Aid, a charity which has experienced a surge in demand for its domestic abuse support services as a result of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. So far the song has raised more than £43,700 for the charity, and the singers behind London City Voices have more performances in the pipeline.
A lack of personal protective equipment, or PPE, was a controversial issue in the UK during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak. A community of thousands of Londoners known as the #VisorArmy took matters into their own hands and are churning out thousands of much-needed visors on a weekly basis. Donations made through the team’s GoFundMe page go towards buying materials for the essential protective equipment, and the campaign has already raised nearly £60,000, which is enough money to produce more than 150,000 visors.
Hot yoga franchise Hotpod hosted an online class to raise money for NHS Charities, and around 14,000 yogis attended. The session was delivered across YouTube and Instagram and encouraged people to get active in their homes and donate to a good cause. The 'Together we stretch for the NHS' fundraiser garnered over £99,000 in donations and Hotpod is continuing to offer classes online, although it may take some creativity to recreate the heat, music, scents, and colours that go into the real-life classes in your living room.
YouTuber and gamer Tom Cassell put his gaming skills to good use when he livestreamed from Twitch.tv/Syndicate last April, with a fundraising target of £13,337 for the NHS. In fact, the gamer also dyed his hair blue, and promised to shave it off if he reached the target. As the picture shows, the gamer reached his target and in fact has raised over £100,000. He's no stranger to fundraising though and in the past has raised more than £165,000 for the MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association).
Nine-year-old Tobias Weller was inspired by Captain Tom Moore's efforts and decided to do his own challenge. Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, could only walk 50 metres before he set himself the challenge to walk a marathon, aided by his walker. Tobias walked 750 metres a day as part of his challenge to raise money for his two favourite charities: Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Paces School. He has raised over £150,000, smashing his original target of £20,000. After completing his walker marathon he did another one using a race runner to support him.
Brompton Bikes are foldable bicycles designed for peddling around the city, and the London-based company made its rental bikes available for NHS workers in March to save them from having to commute on buses or trains, and it was overwhelmed with the response. Demand has gone national, and now Brompton Bikes is raising money to be able to produce and distribute more bikes to key workers. The Wheels for Heroes campaign raised nearly £345,000.
Scouts are known for their camping and outdoor adventures, but with all trips cancelled for the foreseeable future, the nation’s groups decided to pull together for a different challenge – a hike to the moon. The fundraiser was part of The Big Night In, which combined Children in Need and Comic Relief efforts to raise as much money as possible to support essential work during the pandemic. Along with other young people, their families, volunteers and carers, the scouts hiked 240,000 miles between them to reach the moon, and they managed to raise over £347,000 through their combined efforts.
Margaret Payne first climbed Suilven mountain in Scotland when she was 15 years old, and 75 years later she was doing it again. This time the trek had a twist: the 90-year-old scaled the entire 731m on her very own staircase. Margaret initially set out to raise £10,000 to support the NHS during the coronavirus outbreak, but admirers of her extraordinary efforts donated more than £360,000. In order to complete the hike Margaret climbed up and down her stairs 282 times over 73 days.
A number of campaigns have swept across social media to support medical staff working to fight COVID-19, but few have had as much traction as the UK's Run for Heroes. British people have been encouraged to run 5km, donate £5 via Virgin Money Giving, and then nominate five friends to do the same, with proceeds going to NHS Charities Together. The initial target of the fundraiser was £5,000, but after that was reached within a matter of days, organisers set the bar higher, and they smashed their target of £5 million, hitting £5.5 million in total.
Perhaps the most famous everyday hero this pandemic has seen, Captain Sir Tom Moore, who has sadly died at the age of 100, raised a staggering £32.7 million for the NHS Charities Together emergency coronavirus appeal. He initially planned to raise £1,000 by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday on 30 April, but the fundraiser went beyond all expectations. The total was boosted by Tom's charity single with musical star Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir and their rendition of the song You'll Never Walk Alone, which topped the UK charts. Captain Tom was made an honorary colonel and received a knighthood from the Queen for his efforts, which saw him become recognised all over the globe. And as the veteran completed the last of his 100 laps he had this message of hope for everybody who watched: “At the end of the day we shall all be okay. The sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away.”
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