Vanessa shares how she made her Bake a Difference fundraiser such a success, why it’s important for her family to fundraise for Muscular Dystrophy UK, and how the charity has supported them through five-year-old Phoebe’s FSHD diagnosis.
“We went big for Bake a Difference”
You can feel quite helpless as a parent when your child is diagnosed with a muscle wasting condition. Fundraising was a way we could make a difference and do something to help the community. When I asked Phoebe what she’d like to do to raise money for others with her condition, she said ‘an afternoon tea’. Bake a Difference was the perfect choice. The support we received from our town was amazing; we never expected to raise £13,000.
Planning the event
We decided to make a big event of it to raise as much money as possible. We hired a hall for a Sunday afternoon and thought about what else we could offer to entice people. It was important to have something there for everyone, so we set up a raffle, booked someone to do facepainting, and somebody from the neighborhood offered to sell local bread with 100% of the profits going to Muscular Dystrophy UK.
Spreading the word
Getting everyone excited about the fundraiser was definitely key. We sold raffle tickets at our local Co-Op on several weekends leading up to the event, as well as putting posters in shops around the town.
I got asked about going on the local radio to talk about my family’s story and the fundraiser we were holding. I was very nervous at first, but it was so worth it. They also put the story in our local newspaper.
Of course, we also shared the details of our fundraiser far and wide on social media. All of this really helped to get people excited for the event, but also get offers to help with the preparation.
“Anytime there’s a community event in Shetland, everyone just rallies together and helps with anything they can. We had so many people on the day who brought home made goods for the bake sale.”
Baking a Difference
On the day of the event, we had people queueing outside before we’d even opened! We must have had between 300 and 400 people turn up and show their support, which was amazing. Phoebe loves crafting and baking, so she’d made her own unicorn and rainbow biscuits. She decorated them while we were there and enjoyed giving them to people who were wandering round.
Instead of pricing cakes individually, we charged adults £5 to come in and £2.50 for children. People were saying we should have charged more, but part of the event was about spreading awareness of FSHD.
“Everyone was very interested to know more about Muscular Dystrophy UK, and I printed out some facts about FSHD to put around the room to educate people. The charity were really helpful providing resources for the day. They sent out a fundraising pack with posters and lots of tips. We also received branded t-shirts and collection buckets which was great for promotion on the day.”
In total we raised £6,000 in the raffle, £2,000 via JustGiving, and £5,000 in the bake sale.
We’re showing our daughter to be proud of who she is
A lot of people with FSHD are diagnosed later in life, but as Phoebe has been diagnosed so young, the condition will progress quicker than those who have adult onset FSHD. Phoebe struggles to walk long distances and up stairs, as well as picking up heavy things. One of the hardest things is that Phoebe has weak facial muscles and can’t smile. She’ll never be able to show facial expressions which is heartbreaking as you can gauge so much through someone’s face.
“Holding the fundraiser was a way for us to show Phoebe that you should be proud of who you are and not let it hold you back.”
It can feel very lonely when your child is first diagnosed, but Muscular Dystrophy UK put us in touch with other families who have the same condition. We’re all in a WhatsApp group which is an amazing thing to know there are always people at the end of the phone if you need something, even if it’s just a silly question.
Get involved in Bake a Difference
Host a coffee and cake event for us. Raise some money for people living with muscle wasting conditions.
