FUNDRAISING – Third-party challenges Eamon Lynam,
Patrick McCaffrey, Frank Greene,
Snowdon, Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike, cost around £50 per person. ‘The main benefi t for small
charities of taking part in a challenge with us is the simplicity,’ says founder Gareth Williams. ‘We do all the admin, so they don’t have to worry about things like insurance, risk assessments or holding people’s medical details. Participants can contact us directly with all their questions about things like kit lists or which boots to wear, so there’s none of that hassle either. ‘We also provide reassurance. As
an outdoor company, we know the routes really well, and we use professional guides who all have fi rst aid qualifi cations. Often people are really going outside their comfort zones during our challenges, so having a guide they can trust talking to them and getting them through it can make a huge difference.’ Getting involved in a third-party
fundraiser means your PTA can offer a more exciting and unusual experience than you would otherwise be able to organise. This can inspire people to take part and encourage more sponsorship. If parents and teachers are taking
on a particularly impressive challenge, it’s also more likely to attract press coverage, which in turn can help you secure sponsorship from outside your school community. So put down your cake tin and fi nd a plane to jump out of…
‘The skydive was terrifying – but it
was a great fundraiser’ The idea to do a skydive for our local schools came about one night in the pub. One of the guys mentioned he was scared of heights and wanted to conquer his fear by jumping out of a plane. The next morning, I booked us in for a skydive. Seven of us took part, all either parents, governors or former pupils of the two local schools and
They said it was the best experience of their lives
the nursery. The fact that we were raising money for all three institutions really helped, turning it into a community-wide event. We received a lot of support from
local businesses – the pub and shop put up posters for us and set up collection buckets that raised hundreds of pounds. We also held a pub quiz and a raffl e that attracted a lot of people from the town. We also created a JustGiving page. I decided to pay for the jump out of my own pocket, so all of the sponsorship money could go to the schools. A company called SkyDive Ireland organised the jump for us. They’re a professional organisation of experienced sky jumpers who talk you through exactly what’s going to happen before they take you up in the plane. Then they tandem jump with you. The jump was postponed twice because of bad weather, which only ramped up our nerves more. By the time we actually did it, I was terrifi ed, but the rest of the guys loved it and said it was the best experience of their lives. In the end, we raised over £15,000,
so each school received about £5,000. I would defi nitely encourage other
parents to do a skydive. Not only was it a great fundraiser, it was a great bonding experience too! Richard Schwartz, parent, Brookeborough Primary School, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland (64 pupils)
24 SUMMER 2025 School Fundraising
John Lavery, Philip Greene, Richard Schwartz and Martin Conwell
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