Every year Middlesbrough & Teesside Philanthropic Foundation have hosted their annual summer ball that has a whopping great raffle as part of the nights entertainment and fundraising. This year, thanks to a certain Miss Rona, this just wasn’t possible. But that didn’t mean they were going to give up! Instead of having the raffle at the ball they decided to take it online and open it up to everyone! The prizes were incredible…TV’s, gift hampers, and of course Steel River Gin! But I didn’t wanted to give more than just a prize to this amazing cause. Usually their summer ball has seats that are bought by businesses as part of the fundraising process, sadly I didn’t get to dress all fancy and don my best suit…but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t donate. So one big oversized cheque later and they asked me to help announce the winners of the raffle…LIVE! Now I didn’t know it was going to be live…I have never been in a live video before, and as much as I act the cocky son of a b*tch sometimes, my nerves suddenly came creeping in! But it all went swimmingly, and was actually rather fun! Might have to try Live videos announcing our prize winners in the future! Or is that just a recipe for disaster?
Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation support a whole host of great organisations in the Teesside area, who are working to make Teesside a better place in which to live. Of course, this is a mission that is close to my heart and so I am always overjoyed to support their efforts.
The raffle was used to raise funds for their Christmas Appeal, supporting local organisations that are providing food hampers, meals etc. to those most in need this Christmas. Many charitable organisations have struggled financially during Covid, with huge decrease in donations, so this financial support is vital for many of them to continue being able to deliver their brilliant services over the Christmas period.
The foundation held two raffles, the first a £200-a-ticket raffle for businesses who often support the annual Ball, the second a raffle online which was open to the general public. This was the raffle that I had the pleasure of assisting in the drawing of prize winners. The two raffles combine raised over £26,000!!! I even recognised one of the prize winners names as a Steel River customer, which certainly brought a smile to my face.
As well as the donation of a Gin hamper to the list of prizes, I also donated £500 to their Christmas Appeal, because I know just how vital the work is that they support, now more than ever! And the trip wouldn’t have been complete without dropping off some Gin for the hard-working employees who have done an excellent job behind the scenes, ensuring the foundation can continue to be a beacon of hope to Teesside during Covid.
As part of my mission to support my local community, I recently visited the amazing Neighbourhood Welfare Homeless Cafe and Hub in Middlesbrough. Susan Gill and her dedicated team of volunteers work tirelessly to meet the needs of the local homeless community. I feel privileged that I can assist in their efforts with a £250 donation.
In lockdown learning is hard enough for kids without the added barrier of equipment, or lack thereof. Many schools have been struggling with the demand for laptops and so I wanted to help where I can and donate 20 new laptops to local schools in Thornaby who are struggling most with the demand.
As part of our mission to support the Teesside community, I organised a gift giving week that involved supporting 5 amazing organisations, based in Tees Valley, through a £200 donation.
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