30 for 30: Brandon’s 30th anniversary fundraising challenge

Posted: 16 January 2025

It’s not too late to get involved in the epic challenge that has been running for the past few months! Brandon’s supporters, staff and people we support, are being sponsored to complete 30 challenges to mark our 30th anniversary year.

Support Brandon's 30 for 30 fundraising campaign

In this article:

  • Celebrating our 30th anniversary year
  • Taking on a challenge
  • Challenge ideas to get you started
  • Tracy goes swimming
  • Nick wears fancy dress
  • Kate walking on Dartmoor
  • Helen baking cakes
  • Abby's canine adventures

Celebrating our 30th anniversary year

Brandon Trust was founded in March 1994, when people with a learning disability were living in long-term secure institutions. Our charity was determined to create a world in which people were supported in their own homes and given opportunities to live their lives as they wanted to – our mission has always been to help people to Live Free.

Now we support nearly 2,000 children, young people and adults across the south of England to do exactly that – to make their own choices,  in their own homes.

We are funded by local authorities who commission us to provide support in their areas, ranging from helping someone with day-to-day tasks such as doing their shopping or going out with friends, to full-time support and care in a residential home.

Fundraising is essential to ensure we are not just providing the minimum support required by our contracts. We fundraise to make sure we can support people to make their dreams come true and have life-changing experiences, from providing specialist sensory equipment to helping someone go on holiday.

Taking on a challenge

People we support, staff, friends and relatives, have been pledging their support for Brandon by taking on a fundraising challenge over the past few months.

Challenges have ranged from coming to work for 30 days in 30 different fancy dress outfits, to completing 30 wild swims.

So far, thousands of pounds have been raised but there is still time to sign up to take part and make a difference to the lives of the people Brandon supports.

Brandon’s team in Winchester have been busy raising money by getting outdoors. The people we support, Locality Managers, Team Leaders and Support Workers challenged themselves to complete 30 days of 30 walks, meeting 5 days a week to walk together for a great cause. So far the team have raised £870 and is close to hitting the £1,000 target they have set.

Locality Manager and Team Leader Katarzyna Stephens said: “You can walk a short distance or long distance, it doesn’t matter. We want everyone to enjoy this experience together. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Find out more about our 30 for 30 challenges on Justgiving – you could support someone else’s challenge or start your own!

Challenge ideas to get you started

Active

  • Slowly build up to your first 30-minute run
  • Walk for 30 minutes every day, for a week
  • Organise a football kickaround with 30 people
  • Do 30 push-ups every day for 30 days
  • Do 30 beach swims – do it while the water’s warm!

Food/drink-based

  • Bake and sell 30 cakes
  • Try cooking 30 new dishes
  • Fire up the grill and host a barbecue with 30 people
  • Go without alcohol for 30 days
  • Or if booze isn’t your thing; go without chocolate for 30 days

Hobbies 

  • Read 30 books and give a 30-word review for each one
  • Practice a language or instrument for 30 minutes a day and film your progress after 30 days
  • Organise a 30-minute litter pick in your local park for 30 people
  • Plant 30 seeds in your garden and post progress after 30 weeks
  • Create an Instagram story and take 30 amazing pictures

Alternative ideas 

  • Sponsored office silence for 30 minutes, anyone who talks donates £5
  • Grab your GPS and find 30 geocaches
  • Host a 30th birthday party for Brandon

Or, if you don’t want to take on a challenge, you could donate £30 to Brandon: Brandon Trust – JustGiving

Tracy goes swimming

Tracy Date and Damian Stephens

Tracy Date, Brandon’s Chief Business Development, Enterprise and Partnerships Officer, joined Brandon in 1995 as a support worker. She challenged herself to complete 30 sea swims with her swim club buddy, Damian Stephens, Cornwall Area Manager.

Tracy said: “I usually don’t ask my network for donations, but this year is special, and our ambitions are sky-high for the people we support. So, if you could dig deep (literally, rummage down the back of the sofa) and find a few pounds, that would be absolutely fantastic.”

Nick wears fancy dress

Nick Pugh as a baby with Bex Martin

Brandon’s Internal Communications and Engagement Manager, Nick Pugh, challenged himself to come to the office 30 times in fancy dress, with costumes so far including a Roman in a toga, a giant baby, and even a Christmas tree.

Nick said: “If you’d like to see me look like a total plonker 30 times and desperately try to think of 30 different outfits, please donate whatever you can to support Brandon Trust on our 30th birthday! Any donations of £50 and above will get to choose an outfit or theme for me to wear (if I can get hold of it – be kind!).”

Kate walking on Dartmoor

Kate Doodson on Dartmoor

Kate Doodson is Brandon’s Chief Transformation, Performance and Digital Officer. She was joined by Chief People Officer, Donna Colley, Acting Head of Recruitment, Louise Mitchell, Head of Change and Transformation, Natalie Blake, and people we support on her walks on Dartmoor.

Kate said: “As part of Brandon Trust’s 30th anniversary, we have challenged the team to raise funds to help the people we support to live the life they choose. I love a bit of the great outdoors, but not every day is sunny on Dartmoor! The challenge I have accepted is to walk 30 tors of Dartmoor in 30 days.”

Helen baking cakes

Helen England's Brandon challenge

Brandon Chief Executive, Helen England, baked every day during September 2024 and has so far raised more than £700 from generous sponsors. She said: “I want to make the society in which we all live a fairer, more equal place for people with learning disabilities.

“This is a special fundraising campaign in celebration of our 30th birthday and we are raising money to help achieve even more impact for the people we support in the years to come.”

Abby's canine adventures

Barney the rescue dog

Brandon’s Oxfordshire Area Manager, Abby Rees, challenged herself to post 30 photos of Barney her Spanish rescue dog. She set herself the challenge of raising £300 from friends and family – and so far, her total is more than £500.

Abby took over Brandon’s Instagram in account in September to post adorable pictures of Barney causing his usual chaos at home. She said: “Barney arrived in the UK in September 2022 after we saw a video of him and his brothers on a rescue page. It’s brilliant he’s now helping raise money for the people we support at Brandon.”

Support Brandon

Whether you want to take on a 30 for 30 challenge, make a donation, volunteer with us or pop into any of our shops, there are many ways you can support the work we do.

Get in touch

Speak to our friendly team to find out more about our support services, jobs, fundraising and volunteering opportunities and how we can support your organisation.

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