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Meet our fundraisers

We’re incredibly lucky – and thankful – to have such a great team of fundraisers behind us. Every year so many people give up their time to support Surfers Against Sewage all across the UK. From school bake sales, to office quizzes, mud runs and reaching the top of Ben Nevis, we have seen it all.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your own fundraising event, you’re sure to find it here! And remember, fundraising should be fun so be sure to pick an event or challenge you’ll enjoy doing.

get in touch if you already have a fundraising idea!

You will also find our fundraising pack in the download section which will make sure your event gets off to a great start and remember, we are always at the end of the phone or email to support you!

eMAIL KATIE AND THE FUNDRAISING TEAM

Laura and Dani rowed 100 miles along the coast of Cornwall

“I’ve known about SAS for a long time and have always admired the ethos, but only once I started surfing 18 months ago did I think I ‘could’ be a member.  Once we signed up I realised that it is far more than just surfers and the sea, it’s all water lovers whether you use it or not and is from the source to the sea.  We rowed 100 miles from Lamorna on the Land’s End peninsula to Noss Mayo in Devon as I wanted to travel between my two favourite places by human power, and rowing seemed the perfect adventure.  We raised over £4.5k using Virgin Money Giving split between 3 charities. From the idea’s conception to completion took 14 months, but training and planning only got serious 6 months out, whilst the actual trip took 4 days.”

Hannah walked 500 miles along the El Camino de Santiago refusing all single-use plastic.

“El Camino had been on my bucket list for a while and I had experienced the impacts of plastic pollution first hand in Indonesia and on Cornish beaches. A friend of mine suggested that I could raise a lot of awareness and money for a charity if I created a campaign about plastic pollution… I did a lot of research into packing for a hike. I walked out my front door carrying only 5 kilos of stuff and all of this was single-use free. I also made a video explaining my fundraising event and posted it on social media to gain attention before I started walking. The walk itself was very challenging, but also lots of fun and very beautiful. I made sure people at home knew this with high quality photos and detailed blog posts. I aimed to raise £1 per mile I walked and I achieved my target, with £560. I created a Just Giving Page and wrote a very honest profile explaining the reasons behind my venture.”

Lucy swam the English Channel – all 21 miles!

“This was a challenge that I had wanted to attempt for a very long time – when I had the opportunity (when my money, time off and fitness all coincided) I wanted to raise funds for a charity.  I chose SAS because I am an admirer of their work and have a passion for the marine environment.

Working shifts meant that I had to be very determined (aka stubborn) in order to fit in my training – sometimes I was up by 03:45 in order to get in the water early enough for a training session before a 12.5 hour shift at work.  Sometimes I finished a 12.5 hour night shift and had to stay awake for a training session.  The thing is, sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got and time wasn’t something I had the luxury of.

The swim itself was a bit of a rollercoaster – there were hours when I hated it and hours when I loved it.  I never once thought about getting out…. But I did wonder what on earth I was thinking when I decide to attempt it!”

 

Louise took on the Croyde Ocean Triathlon

“My friend is an SAS Regional Rep, and he saw that SAS had places available and suggested it to me. I’ve always wanted to have a go at a triathlon, so I it seemed like the perfect opportunity!

A triathlon is quite an intense physical activity, so I started training for it about 3-4 months before the event. I worked with a trainer at Fitness Wild and they put together a training plan and supported me throughout the build up to the event. I loved taking on a new challenge, and the fact that I was raising money for SAS really motivated me to keep going with my training.

My top tip would be to tell people all about the challenge you are taking on, share updates of how your training is going and include all the highs and lows as you go! Social media is a fantastic way to spread the word and it is really enjoyable to track your training progress leading up to the event itself.

I was thrilled to raise £1,175 through a Just Giving fundraising page.”

Have you been inspired? click here to email us and begin your FUNDRAISING journey today

Keep scrolling to our download section where you can download your very own fundraising pack, sponsorship form to get those donations rolling in or our paying in form which outlines all the details you need to paying in your fundraising money.

Top tips!

"One of my favourite parts of fundraising for SAS is how we have been able to use our trip as a platform to raise awareness as well as money, we were able to go into schools to do assemblies and developed some lessons about conservation and pollution that our children's schools used whilst we were rowing."

Just do it. It changed my life and taught me how much impact one individual can make. Make your fundraising idea as challenging and as unique as possible - people love a good story and love to see you break new boundaries. Also, be open minded during your venture. I opened a shop and changed the whole direction of my life because I fundraised for SAS. Who knows what you could achieve?

Ask for donations with enthusiasm - I think if you can demonstrate your passion and belief in a cause then it become contagious and people are more likely to want to get involved. Not only that, but even if they can't offer sponsorship they can do something practical (pick up litter from beaches/use less plastic/etc) and they are more likely to do that if they're convinced of the importance and worthiness of a cause by your 100% belief in it.

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