EVENTS – Festive fundraising fun
Letters to Santa
FIND MORE Christmas fair stall and game ideas at
pta.co.uk
Festive film night Open-air movie nights aren’t just for summer! Pick a classic Christmas film such as Elf, Home Alone or The Polar Express and sell tickets. You might want to set up multiple screenings, and use a well-ventilated marquee in case it rains. Offer refreshments such as popcorn and hot chocolate. Don’t forget about licensing too – visit
pta.co.uk for advice.
Hire an ice rink Ice rinks can be expensive to hire, but if you sell tickets in advance – plus refreshments on the side – you can turn it into a money-maker. Source a supplier and work out how much you’d need to charge to turn a profit (or at least cover costs), then offer time slots for families to come after school or on a weekend.
Christmas fair The most magical event on your PTA calendar, Christmas fairs come in all shapes and sizes – from winter wonderland-style affairs with fairy lights and fake snow, to traditional markets with shopping stalls and delicious food. Raffles, tombolas and lucky squares are popular money-spinners, or set up biscuit- decorating tables, ‘pin the nose on Rudolph’, and make-your-own wildlife-friendly reindeer food. If you’re hosting a virtual event,
BIGGER GROUP EVENT
you’ll find lots of tips and ideas at
pta.co.uk. Make use of resources like Zoom and YouTube for workshops and quizzes, while platforms such as Patchwork allow you to create and share an inventory of all the activities you’ll be running.
“Our PTA organised letters from Santa for the children when we were unable to run our usual Santa’s grotto. We drafted three template letters, each to suit a different age group. Each letter was worded so information about the recipient could be added in. Letters were made available for order through PTA Events, where we set up questions to capture the details for the letters. We charged £4 for a personalised letter, plus a book, and £1.50 extra for postage outside our local area. Gifts were wrapped, letters were mail-merged and printed onto a Santa letterhead, and we purchased envelopes with a North Pole postmark. We sold 129 letters, making a profit for the PTA of £380.” Sarah Everson, Friends of Halsford Park School, East Grinstead
New Christmas fair stall ideas
Karen Maka, PTA Co-Chair at Rayne Primary and Nursery School, Rayne, Essex (260 pupils) shares some stall ideas from the school’s fair in 2019…
Elf pong Place 10 cups in rows, then put smaller sweets into the cups near the front, and higher-value ones in those that are
further away. The aim is to land a ping-pong ball in a cup and, if successful, you win whichever sweet is inside. Charge 20p a go.
Wheel of fortune Make a wheel of fortune out of cardboard (or buy one online), with small and large segments for the spinner to land on. Charge £1 per go and offer
prizes like sweets, stationery and books. You could also place £5 notes on some of the smaller segments.
Snowman smash This bowling game consists of six cups decorated like snowmen, and players use ‘snowball’ balls to try to knock them over. Charge 20p per go and award sweets as a prize every time.
LEGO challenge The aim is to build the tallest LEGO tower in one minute, and the tallest at the end of the fair wins. Charge 50p a go and offer separate prizes for children and adults.
Higher or lower stall Take a playing card off the top of a pack, then ask players if the next card will be higher or lower. If they’re right, they win a prize.
pta.co.uk AUTUMN 2021 49
IMAGES: SBYTOVAMN,ELENANICHIZHENOVA/
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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