Keen Fundraiser Tracey, who's had breast cancer, shares how she raised over £4K

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2017 and in 2018, my treatment included two operations, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. In the same year, my husband and daughter gained charity places for the London Marathon with CLIC charity, so I started fundraising by arranging gigs and various events. I know that sometimes I exhaust myself, but after my diagnosis, I feel life’s for living and I just can’t say no!

In 2020, I should have participated in the MoonWalk London but my entry was postponed until 2022. I completed the walk with my daughter and wow! It was a special experience for us to share together. This was when I arranged a fundraising gig with the band Marylebone Jelly (MBJ) and during the MoonWalk I wore a cape with sponsored memory bows.

This year, having decided to participate in the MoonWalk London again with three friends, I challenged myself to arrange another fundraising night. My friends run a music venue that booked for MBJ to play again. The publicity I arranged for this event included arranging an events page on Facebook and inviting lots of friends and making it public, putting up gig posters in the venue and working with the band and venue to promote it. Both the venue and I sell the tickets. What a blast! The night was an absolute sell out and in fact, it was so popular, we had to turn people away.  

My daughter in law and I decorated the venue with balloons and we got creative by decorating painted pink pebbles with MoonWalk/Breast Cancer written on them as balloon weights. 

On the night, I amazed myself by raising £4,320 by arranging the following activities: guessing the value of coppers in a glass jar that I bought in a charity shop (I made a grid of 88 spaces so charged £1.00 a guess). A friend brought some sweets and put them in cones which we sold for £1, and my Aunty made some cupcakes. I had lots of prizes donated for a raffle which I made up into hampers, eg beauty, food and drink etc), and I held a MoonWalk cake auction.

I also encouraged my three friends to make memory bow capes to gain sponsors which has increased our group pages total fundraising.  My final fundraising total increased significantly with a generous donation from a family member!

I’m very lucky to have a fantastic circle of family and friends who support and help me. I absolutely love fundraising for charities and I find it easy to organise and run events. 

Thank you Tracey for your support and for sharing your fundraising ideas with us all.

Enter The MoonWalk London, The MoonWalk Scotland or Register your Interest for The MoonWalk Iceland, and make a difference to those with breast and other cancers! Or make a donation today!