Raising money for Cancer Research UK
with collectable toys

How it started:

It all began in 2001 when I donated a Ty Beanie Baby
for a raffle prize in a local toy shop.
This was in the height of the Beanie Baby craze
and I was amazed at how much money was raised by one small soft toy!
After holding a few more raffles for various causes,
I read a leaflet one day about Race for Life.
It told me that the event was a 5km walk or run
for women and girls, in aid of Cancer Research UK.
I decided that this was something that I could do,
as unfit as I was, and set out to get as much sponsorship as I could.
I was lucky to have so much support from
so many different groups of people.
To make the sponsorship fun for them as well as myself,
I held a series of fundraising events,
including a massive draw of Beanie Babies
in the school where I worked, another draw in the toy shop,
an online draw within a large Beanie collecting group,
and an appeal in Bean Bag Magazine.
I was thrilled to collect sponsorship totalling over £1200!
All of the prizes had been donated by Ty Europe,
local toy shops and friends all over the world!
This showed me that together, people CAN make a difference,
and I was encouraged to carry on raising money for the charity.
So far, since the Race for Life in July 2002,
and with the help of many people,
I have been able to raise over £40,000