There are few better examples of our community’s dedication than the story of Lucy who, as Mellor’s 2015/16 Rose Queen, chose to support EducAid in the fundraising events she organised for her village.
Over the past 8 months Lucy has been working hard to organise events for her community – these events have a great way of both bringing the community together, and to raise money for a charity which is close to their hearts. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Lucy for organising this series of events, the people of Mellor to whom we are extremely grateful for their generosity, and to wish them all the best of luck for the events still to come. This month Lucy wrote a letter telling us all about the events that they have carried out in the village, and how much they have managed to raise for the charity through doing so; it’s a really inspirational story from a driven young woman.
Hello, my name is Lucy and I am 15 years old. This year I am my local village Rose Queen and spend the year raising money for charity. I chose EducAid as I know Miriam and Kofi and I can see the fantastic work they do. My year started with me being crowned at the Fete in July.
My first fundraising event was a fashion show in which my mum, the local vicar, and a few others modelled clothes from SOS (a local boutique). Sherlocks hairdressers did the models hair and a friend did their makeup to make them feel extra glamorous. We gave everyone a free glass of bucks fizz on arrival and encouraged them to buy the clothes afterwards. We raised £850 which was really encouraging for a first event.
Next up we hosted an Oktoberfest which featured a professional accordion player and our very own home grown oompah band. We served frankfurters, sauerkraut and apfelstrudel. We raffled a hamper filled with German goodies and had giant salamis as prizes for the best dancing. We encouraged people to come in their lederhosen and dirndls. People schunkled late into the night and we raised £1300.
In November we held a second hand toy sale and children’s Frozen party. We had lots of Frozen themed crafts and a Frozen sing along with ‘real’ snow.
The weekend’s activities raised £600.Throughout December we sold homemade produce at various local events. That put our total amount of money raised so far to £3736.55.
2016 has started with a bang. We transformed our village hall into a nightclub and hosted an awesome Beatles tribute band. Old and young boogied away the night together and we raised over £1500.
Still to come we have: Mellor’s Got Talent; a cake decorating workshop with afternoon tea; an African evening with a traditional African band and food and a children’s concert. My Dad and brother are also going to walk the Pennine Way in the summer and ask for sponsorship.
So far this year has been so much fun and it is a privilege to support such an inspiring charity.
Love from Rose Queen Lucy.
Lucy’s story shows just how much a small group of individuals can achieve, particularly when one passionate and dedicated individual drives the team forwards. We at EducAid find it genuinely inspiring that a community will pull together to support children many thousands of miles away. We congratulate and thank you, Mellor, for all of your great work. Your generous fundraising and donations will go to an undeniably great cause: creating a brighter future for young people in Sierra Leone, and we will ensure that it is used in the most efficient and effective way possible.
If you know someone who would like to get involved with EducAid, in a fundraising or volunteering capacity, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can contact Farah by clicking here, or for any support in existing fundraisers please contact Marcus here.