Tag Archives: fundraising

Limited collection of suncatchers available now!

fundraising,

Back by popular demand, we have new stock of our beautiful handmade glass suncatchers, lovingly made especially for APP by a very kind and talented supporter. And this time we have a new addition - a beautiful blue tit!

Bluetit suncatcher on a white wall

We're simply asking for a suggested donation (details below), and all the proceeds will come directly to APP to help us continue to support mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis.

Bluetit - 18cm by 14cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p
Kingfisher - 13cm by 20cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p
Angel - 20cm by 20cm - suggested donation £35 including p&p
Robin - 18cm by 14cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p

They are posted well padded and beautifully gift wrapped, so can be sent directly as a present for a loved one if you wish.

Email fundraising@app-network.org to reserve your favourite - stock is very limited and we sold out last time, so if you'd like one, be quick!

 

Mammoth Miles for Mums and Babies efforts this May!

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This year we have had more people than ever take part in our Miles for Mums and Babies fundraising challenge. 

Here's just a few pictures to give you an idea of what everyone has been up to, with individuals and teams getting involved all across the UK.

Thank you to absolutely everyone who has taken part, provided moral or physical support or donated to keep our fundraisers going - it's been an incredible effort, and it's still ongoing!

Becky took on an epic 42 mile walk - find out more and check out the fab pics here.

Justine and a huge team of friends climbed Cavehill on a beautiful sunny day near Belfast.

Kayleigh and her husband Dave are walking 56 miles over 5 days - 56 miles was the distance Dave had to travel to visit Kayleigh when she was in an MBU.

 

A huge team from Nottingham's Margaret Oates' MBU completed 318 miles - and some dedicated team members didn't even stop when they were on holiday! The whole team completed the miles with a fabulous family walk. Find out more about what they've been up to and add your support here.

 

Some of our tiniest fundraisers got involved through Jenny Wren’s Rattle & Rhyme group who completed a wonderful five mile buggy push and toddle.

Emma took part in a 10k race on a sunny Wednesday evening in Northamptonshire.

The fantastic nationwide BleepKind team smashed their original 318 mile target, completing over 400 miles in total, and an incredible 92 hours of activity on bikes, on foot and in pools!

Husband and wife team Georgina and Chris are running 108 miles this month, and were even spotted in action at Trentham Gardens by an eagle eyed member of the APP Team!

Natalie is completing 60 miles over the three months, fitting it in around her already very busy life, and loving every step of the way!

Over in Spain, (yes Miles for Mums and Babies is international now!) Ruth had a 10k race planned but when an injury put a stop to her training and running, her amazing friends, Afra and Sinead, stepped in to ensure it didn't put a stop to her fundraising!
Afra completed a 21k race in early May, and Sinead is taking part in the Edinburgh marathon at the end of the month - what fantastic friends!

Hazel cycled amazing 65 miles in just one day from Dundee to Livingston, via Perth.

Hannah and Ryan are walking and running 156 miles throughout May - 120 miles for the distance their family travelled to be with Hannah when she was ill, and 36 miles for each day she was in the Mother and Baby Unit.

The North Wales Perinatal Mental Health Team have completed a MASSIVE 2000 miles between them and are finishing off in style with a team away day walking up Moel Famau meaning Mother Mountain - the highest hill in the Clwydian range in Denbighshire.

We also have a swimmer on board - up in Scotland Alice is planning on completing 71 miles of swimming in a month - 71 miles representing the number of days she spent in hospital while unwell with postpartum psychosis.

Laura D decided to tie her Miles for Mums and Babies challenge in with a Couch to 5K adventure.

Jennifer and Lee walked from their home to Nottingham MBU - a distance of over 20 miles) in one day.

Laura C is running a fantastic 50 miles in the month of May.

Becky is running 5k EVERY DAY in May, often pushing a buggy to make it even more challenging!

Sally is walking a huge 100 miles in May and has smashed her fundraising target!

Shelley and friends completed a 5K in Stormont at the end of the month, not only to raise funds but also to highlight the desperate need for an MBU in Northern Ireland.

10 year old Annie has shown real dedication by running a mile every single day during May, not missing a single one and sometimes even having to get up early to fit her mile in before school!

Some people have even longer term plans - Emily aims to walk an amazing 1000 miles this year - and has already completed nearly half of these miles; and Heidi is aiming for 1400 miles of running this year!

It's been a huge effort this year so far by so many, and we're so grateful to all of you!

Looking ahead, Adeline is running a 10K in Battersea Park at the end of June and Robyn will be paddleboarding in Leamington Spa.

So the month might nearly be over but it’s definitely not too late to get involved – Miles for Mums and Babies can happen whenever and however you want it to! So, if you're feeling inspired and have an idea for your own Miles for Mums and Babies challenge, we’d love to hear from you!

Hazel's 65 mile cycle

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Last weekend, APP volunteer Hazel Oates from Perth in Scotland took on a huge #milesformumsandbabies challenge for APP.

She cycled 65 miles from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, to the general psychiatric ward at the Murray Royal Hospital in Perth, then on to the Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) at St John's hospital in Livingston - the journey she made when ill with postpartum psychosis.  She was joined along the way by friends and family who were also a big support to her on her recovery journey.

She said: 'What an incredible day! It was a real full circle moment, the first time round I was driven to the hospital by a care assistant whilst completely wracked with panic, fear, and strange thoughts. This time I travelled there with some lovely friends and family under my own steam and felt like the journey was reclaimed.'

She stopped in at the MBU during her cycle to say hello to staff and give some gifts to the mums there. Hazel has now raised an incredible £5,000 from over 230  supporters - showing how many her message has already reached.

She also bravely chose to share her own personal story with the local media to help raise even more awareness of the illness and the effects it can have. Read her sensitive and powerful article here.

She posted regular updates of her training (and pictures of the beautiful Scottish countryside) on her GoFundMe page - you can see more and add your support for her fantastic achievements here.

Thank you Hazel!

Miles for Mums and Babies 2023!

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A big shout out to everyone who has signed up for our Miles for Mums and Babies challenge so far! We’ve got more people than ever before ready to run, walk, swim and cycle hundreds of miles to raise awareness of PP and funds for APP.

Fundraisers all over the UK are taking part – here’s just a little taste of what’s going on during May…

In Scotland, Alice in Dundee will be swimming 71km in 28 days, and Hazel in Perthshire will be cycling 65 miles in a single day later this month.

In Wales the BCUHB perinatal mental health team in North Wales who have a team of 18 aiming to cover 154 miles during May; Laura in Cardiff who is planning to walk 50 miles over the month; and Heidi, a perinatal mental health nurse in Monmouthshire who is taking on a huge 1400 miles by the end of 2023 to represent the number of women who experience PP each year.

We’re delighted to have lots going on in Northern Ireland too, with Justine and Shelley getting friends and family on board to take part in their hiking and running challenges.

And across England there are individuals and teams taking part in all sorts of different ways, including…

Jennifer Dawson who’s taking on TWO challenges – one walking 26 miles with her husband Lee and another with her Rattle and Rhyme group – who'll be getting together to toddle 5k!

Jenny and Lee aren’t the only husband and wife team working together to reach a Miles for Mums and Babies target though, we also have Hannah and Ryan in Leeds planning to walk and run 156 miles - 120 miles for the distance their family travelled to the MBU and 36 miles for each day Hannah was in the unit; and Georgina and Chris who are aiming for 108 miles - the distance to and from their nearest MBU.

Most of those taking part have chosen a number of miles that has a meaning to them - Natalie has chosen to walk 60 miles as that represents the distance to and from her home and the MBU she spent time in - the journey her husband had to make to be able to come and see her and their baby.

Rebecca is planning a mammoth 43 mile walk in a single day, with the aim of raising £2400 - the number of mums who will have been diagnosed with PP in the two years since she herself was diagnosed. And she's very close to her huge target goal already!

We’re also really delighted to have the Blue Minds and BleepKind network involved this year, taking on an epic 318 mile challenge, which is already underway!

And having whole teams getting on board is just wonderful - including the Leicester Partnership Trust Perinatal Mental Health Team who are doing a mix of walking, running and swimming; and the Margaret Oates MBU in Nottingham who will be walking, pushing buggies, toddling, running, cycling and even getting their four legged furry friends involved to reach 318 miles (which is the distance from the most westerly MBU in the UK to the most easterly).

And this isn't even everyone who has planned to get involved - we'll keep posting updates throughout the month.  A HUGE thank you to everyone who has signed up so far and to everyone who has supported them already.

It's never too late to get involved in you'd still like to, just email fundraising@app-network.org and we'll send you a free Miles for Mums and Babies pack.

Mother's Day Suncatchers

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Mother's Day is just around the corner and you might be trying to think of the perfect gift for someone special in your life. 

We may have the answer!  We have a limited collection of these beautiful handmade glass suncatchers, lovingly made for APP by a very kind and talented supporter.  We're asking for a suggested donation (details below), and all the proceeds will come directly to APP to help us continue to support mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis.

Stained glass robin

Robin - 18cm by 14cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p

stained glass Kingfisher suncatcher

Kingfisher - 13cm by 20cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p

stained glass angel suncatcher

Angel - 20cm by 20cm - suggested donation £40 including p&p

To buy yours, email fundraising@app-network.org - stock is very limited so be quick! And make sure your order is with us by Monday 13th March if you want it to arrive in time for Mother's Day.

Lee embarks on year-long challenge to raise awareness of PP

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This month, our incredible fundraiser Lee Smith of Washington, Tyne and Wear, will embark on the first of twelve physically demanding challenges to fundraise for APP and raise awareness of postpartum psychosis.

Sadly, almost exactly two years ago, Lee’s wife, Jess, developed postpartum psychosis and was admitted under section to Morpeth’s Mother and Baby Unit in Northumberland.

Two years on, now fully recovered and a happy and healthy family of four, Lee and Jess are doing all they can to raise awareness and much-needed funds - and for Lee this means taking on twelve difficult challenges starting on Sunday 11 December.

Read Lee’s story below. A link to his Just Giving page can also be found at the bottom of the article.

Continue reading Lee embarks on year-long challenge to raise awareness of PP →

Listen to APP’s festive playlist - and find out why we chose these popular songs

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This Christmas, we want to raise awareness of some of the challenges faced by families affected by postpartum psychosis, as well as the hope and inspiration they found, by giving new meaning to our favourite festive songs.

Check out and enjoy the playlist below, and read personal stories of hope, recovery and love that relate to each song.

Continue reading Listen to APP’s festive playlist - and find out why we chose these popular songs →

Support APP for FREE!

fundraising

We know times are tough for many at the moment with bills going up and the cost of living increasing. We are very grateful to all our supporters for continuing to think of APP and donating to help us continue to support mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis.

We understand that not everyone may be in a position to donate right now, so we've come up with a list of ways to support APP that won't cost you a single penny. Please get involved if you can.

  • Are you a member of any clubs, societies or groups? Maybe a WI, Freemasons, Rotary Club, Inner Wheel, U3A or any other group or club (even a Zumba class, triathlon team or an art group)? Or perhaps you or someone you know is part of a University society – medicine, midwifery, psychology, fundraising/RAG, running, baking… Let us know! We’d love to make links with groups to help raise awareness and funds – drop us an email:  and we'll send you or them a free pack of info.
  • Sign up with Give as you Live – visit: https://bit.ly/APPgiveasyoulive - if you register with them and make online purchases through their browser, we get a small percentage of every sale – and it doesn’t cost you a penny. It's simple to use and there are more than 6,000 retailers signed up, including shops you probably use all the time – Boots, M&S, John Lewis, Wilkos, Sainsburys and thousands more. If you’re making a big purchase like renewing house insurance or buying a new fridge, the donations can be quite significant.
  • Got a birthday or anniversary coming up? Could you consider setting up a Facebook Birthday Fundraiser (https://bit.ly/fbbdayapp)?  It only takes a few minutes and it’s a lovely way to connect and mark the occasion with your friends near and far. Our wonderful supporters and their friends have raised more than £4,000 so far this year via Facebook fundraisers.
  • You could also set up a fundraiser on Instagram - super easy and free to do, just follow these steps:
    • On your profile or feed, tap '(+)' in the top right of your screen.
    • Select 'Post', choose an image and tap 'Next'.
    • Under your image, tap 'Add fundraiser'.
    • Choose ActiononPP from the menu.
    • Add details in the Fundraiser details Page, tap 'Add', then tap 'Share'.
    • The fundraiser will be visible in the post and you can find a link to the fundraiser in your profile bio.
  • Nominate us for a Movement for Good Award - it takes less than one minute and we might win £1000 – simply visit www.bit.ly/NominateAPP and complete the form – no obligation to sign up to any mailing lists or anything either.
  • Do you or anyone you know work for a company that has charity of the year awards/match funds donations/can nominate charities for funds? We have been successfully nominated by a few employees which has resulted in some significant donations. Get in touch if you need any more information about us for your employer.
  • Do you own or work in a shop or business that could host one of our loose change collectors? Pop it on the counter and help raise awareness as well as funds. Contact fundraising@app-network.org for more info.
  • Sell any unwanted goods on eBay – check out https://bit.ly/APPebay - you can chose to donate all or part of the proceeds to APP and there’s benefits for you too - donate 10% or more and your item will feature an attention-grabbing charity ribbon—it may even be listed in the Charity Shop. Plus, you reduce your seller fees and enjoy tax savings.
  • Donate old broken or unwanted jewellery and old banknotes for recycling - Working with Recycling for Good Causes, we can recycle any jewellery – gold, silver, costume jewellery, watches, broken and damaged items (like odd earrings, snapped chains or items with missing stones); any unwanted banknotes from ANY country of any age... Simply fill an A5 sized envelope, print off this freepost address, send it off and APP will receive a donation. If you have larger items to recycle, like computer games consoles, old/broken tablet devices, sat navs or cameras - you can order a free recycling sack from them and they'll collect it for free.
  • Recycle your inkjet printer cartridges and raise money for APP - it's really simple to do and we could receive up to £2 per eligible cartridge (plus less waste to landfill).
    If you work somewhere you get through a lot of ink, you can get a free collection box. Find out more and get your freepost label here: recycle4charity.co.uk
  • Share our posts on social media – simply retweet, repost, comment, like…. Every little helps us to reach more people, raise awareness of PP and can help generate funds. We're on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.
  • Got any other ideas of ways you can help raise funds without spending a penny? We’d love to hear from you! Email us fundraising@app-network.org

Thank you for all your support for APP – we couldn’t do the work we do with mums and families without you.

Gift Aid Awareness Day #TickTheBox

fundraising,

pink gift aid awareness day logo

6th October is Gift Aid Awareness Day

What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is a tax relief for charities in the UK to increase donations – at no extra cost to the donor. When a
charity receives a donation from a UK taxpayer, the organisation is entitled to claim an extra 25% paid on
that donation.

A £10 donation processed with Gift Aid becomes a £12.50 donation.

What do donors need to do?
Donors need to #tickthebox on our Gift Aid declaration form and provide some basic personal details, return it to us and then we can claim 25p for every £1 given.
Once a donor has given their permission by filling in the Gift Aid declaration form, there is no need for them to do anything else.

Who qualifies to donate through Gift Aid?
For charities to claim Gift Aid on a donation, the donor must have paid UK income tax or capital gains tax that tax year, at least equal to the tax that the organisation will reclaim on the individual’s donations.
Even if the donor is not currently employed they are eligible to make Gift Aid payments so long as, at some point in the tax year in which they make the donation, they pay enough tax on any of the following:
• Personal or occupational pension
• Stocks or shares
• Bank or building society savings accounts
• Rental income
• Overseas or UK investment dividends

Higher rate tax payers
Higher rate tax payers are entitled to claim the difference between the top rate of tax they pay, and the basic rate on the total value of the donation. Individuals can claim the additional tax relief through their self-assessment tax return or by asking HMRC to amend their tax code.

Example for higher rate tax payer
You donate £100 to charity – they claim Gift Aid to make your donation £125. You pay 40% tax so you can personally claim back £25.00 (£125 x 20%).

For more on Gift Aid visit cfg.org.uk/tickthebox

If you'd like any more info, email fundraising@app-network.org

Laura and Helen complete their challenge!

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two women wearing purple APP running vests and glitter on their faces, in a crowd of runners at the start of the GNR
 

Sisters Laura and Helen have taken part in various events this year to raise funds for APP culminating in the Great North Run, which took place on Sunday 11th September.

Following the sad news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, there was some last minute uncertainty about whether the run would go ahead, but organisers decided an event that brought people together and raises millions for charity would be a fitting tribute to the late Queen.

Laura and Helen wearing their GNR finisher and APP medalsLaura and Helen were really pleased that the run went ahead, and both completed it in brilliant times. Not only that, between them, they raised nearly £2,000 for APP - an amazing achievement - and definitely deserved their medals!

A huge thank you to both of you from all at APP.