Partner Plus Media compete in £50 challenge to help raise £43k for Trinity Hospice

We all know about the red paperclip, right? You know, back in 2005 a guy traded a red paperclip for a fish-shaped pen. He then traded the pen for a hand-sculpted doorknob. The sequence continued until he traded a movie role for a two-story farmhouse. That’s right, he went from a single paperclip to a HOUSE in a matter of months.

Well, Partner Plus Media, along with thirty other businesses and organizations in the local area, tried to do something similar. In a bid to raise as much money as possible for Trinity Hospice, we were each given £50 and told to double, triple or quadruple it. Did we succeed? We sure did! 

Over the summer our incredible team of fundraisers took part in a series of events to test their agility and strength. One group ran 5km on the beach while being pelted with colorful balls of powder and another group ran 5km on grass while gently caressed by bubbles. Three of our fabulous trekkers challenged themselves to an intense hike across the Yorkshire Three Peaks; 26 miles of outstanding beauty in the Yorkshire countryside, including the Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough peaks. Many members of the team generously donated cash and sponsored their teammates, but there was also a Clothing Collection which contributed to our final success. 

Together we raised a whopping £7,268 for hospice care in the Fylde Coast! And to celebrate, we were invited by Trinity Hospice to a lunch date with all of the other local businesses that had taken part in the challenge.

Below is an article written by the local newspaper which covered the event: 

Firms compete in £50 challenge to raise £43k for Trinity Hospice 

What would you do if you were handed £50 and challenged to make as much money as possible from it? 

Well, these Fylde firms certainly have the answer after raising nearly £43,000 for local hospice care in The Fylde Coast £50 Challenge. 

Thirty businesses and organisations joined the challenge set by Trinity Hospice this year, where they were given a starter fund of £50 and four months to turn it into as much as possible for the charity.

A total of £42,979 was raised by staff at the firms who came together at a celebratory luncheon at Viva, Blackpool, to see who would be crowned winner for 2022. 

It takes the total raised by the challenge since it launched in 2013 to a staggering £347,000, supporting Trinity Hospice and its dedicated children’s hospice, Brian House. 

Taking victory for this year’s challenge was Partner Plus Media, which raised £7,268 by employees taking part in many of Trinity’s fundraising events including its Yorkshire Three Peaks trek. 

Janet Atkins, corporate partnerships manager, said: “What a fantastic sum of money raised by Partner Plus Media. 

“They really pulled out all the stops, taking part in not only one of our most challenging events this year, but also throwing themselves into Blackpool Colour Run and Bubble Rush as well. 

“We know they’ve had loads of fun while raising this money, which together with that raised by the other businesses who joined the £50 challenge really will go a long way in helping our charity to provide exceptional hospice care to all who need it on the Fylde coast.” 

Runner up for this year’s challenge was West Lancs Group which raised £5,485 through sponsorship as a number of staff took part in Trinity’s Big Jump skydive, a mountain trek run and in-office fundraising. And in third place with a fantastic £5,245 was DD Fire Alarms which raised money through raffles, auctions, fundraising evenings and a paddleboarding challenge. 

Janet added: “We’ve seen more companies this year where employees have set themselves personal challenges. As well as taking part in our events, we’ve also seen people swimming the lakes, paddleboarding and even trying their hand at new sports. We even had some sole traders combining their skills and expertise to raise as much as they could as a team. On top of that, there has been loads of in-office events which is great to see after the pandemic, which resulted in a lot of people working from home or splitting their time between home and the office. 

“This challenge really is a fantastic celebration of the generosity of our local businesses and organisations, who truly push their teams to raise as much as possible for local hospice care, whether they are supporting our adult services through Trinity, or helping us to care for our area’s most fragile children through Brian House. 

“A very big thank you to every single person who took part in this year’s Fylde Coast £50 Challenge. You’ve helped to raise a significant amount of money which will make a huge difference to all who need hospice care in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre.”