show me the money
By Nigel Davies
Sponsored by MyMedicines
With a new season upon us and the enforced Covid-19 restrictions upon society receding enough to make small fundraising events viable again, ATFV is ready to prove once again why it labels itself “The Fundraising Fanzine Dedicated to Swansea City Football Club”. Read on for details of our ambitious plans for the 2021/22 season…….
It was only a few weeks ago that I published a piece to the ATFV website detailing our plans for the Community Chest this season, with no less than FIVE causes we would be supporting and the minimum £3,000 target that came with them.
You can read all about our plans HERE – but the short version is that we’ll be raising money for the following causes this season:-
- Alzheimer’s Society Cymru
- Lenny Johnrose
- The Children’s Wards
- Calon Plus
- Ysgol Hendrefelin
Things have moved on a little since then and we’ve taken on a couple of ad hoc causes that have cropped up – which makes the additional recruitment I talked about in the Opening Salvo even more crucial
And it’s with the recruitment of old friend Steve Sax and his fundraising wing-woman Marie Parton that I want to start this update as it also ties off the Toy Story campaign that featured in the last issue. Our final total by the end of last season was £1,200 – which we donated to Steve and Marie’s fundraising campaign for the same cause.
Steve Sax is of course a professional musician and, inspired by the late, great Captain Tom, he played 100 songs in 100 days, recording dedications in return for donations.
It’s that type of innovation that ATFV needs in its ranks and I’m looking forward to working with Steve and Marie over the coming season to not only reach but exceed our £3,000 target.
Part of that work will be the Toy Story II Appeal which will look to raise a grand for our annual trip to Smyths to buy new toys and equipment for the Children’s Wards – let’s all hope that Covid doesn’t prevent us doing that this year!
The first of our fundraising campaigns to be launched is our Pennies for Lenny appeal which is designed not only to raise money for a sports star battling against the debilitating effects of Motor Neurone Disease, but also to show a former Jack how much we love him!
I wrote about Lenny’s battle in the last issue of ATFV – which you can read HERE – and from that moment I was determined to do something to show some support for a man that not only had a profound effect on the club I love but, is also fighting against the terrible effects of MND.
And that’s why I am so very proud that the original £200 target was not just met but smashed within a DAY of launching the JustGiving page.
That achievement is solely down to the generosity of Swans fans across the country, and reading the kind comments that went with each donation has been a huge motivation to raise more and more.
That’s why the target has been more than doubled to £500 and we’ll be embarking on some ways to raise more cash in the coming weeks.
Of course, you can help us add to the current £420 total by making a donation on the JustGiving page and you can do that by clicking the Pennies 4 Lenny logo.
Let’s show Lenny just how much we love him!
The second of our fundraising campaigns that’s up and running is our Alzheimer’s Society Cymru Appeal which has a guaranteed £1,000 minimum attached to it.
How is this guaranteed? Well, it’s such a fantastic cause, with a local branch, and it touches the lives of so many people that I feel compelled to ensure that we raise a decent amount of money. So I will personally cover any shortfall if we don’t raise a grand.
Now some will think that generous, some, including my bank manager, will think it frivolous (or stupid). I, however, think it’s just a promise that will never need fulfilling – because with what we have planned I’m supremely confident that we will SMASH that £1,000 target to pieces.
I’m hoping we’ll put a decent dent in the target with our first event in a very, very long time…and what an event it promises to be!
Our Muffins & Magic Night on the 15th October will bring together three of the top magic acts in the city to provide an evening of mystery and illusion.
Jon Holt, Charles Anthony and Jon Jones are all master magicians and they’ll blow your minds with their stage acts and their close up table magic.
Perhaps the biggest mystery will be why you find our musical act – Neil Pulling on his Organ (yes – really!) – so damn entertaining!
And keeping the whole magical, mental event running smoothly will be Master of Ceremonies KEVIN JOHNS!!
How magical it is to have Kev back on the circuit after the awful year he’s been put through. The man is a Swansea and a charity LEGEND and he’ll always be my first choice to host an ATFV event!
Every audience member will be treated to at least one free muffin and our hosts Boss Brewery will be treating us to a special Three Merlins Cocktail, created especially for our event.
It promises to be a great night and at just a fiver per ticket you can’t go wrong – especially after being starved of live entertainment for so long due to Covid!
So if you want to come along and enjoy a magical evening, and help raise some money for the Alzheimer’s Society Cymru at the same time then click the poster and purchase a ticket from our Eventbrite site!
We’ve got lots planned over the next few months, both for the official campaigns listed above and for other causes that have appeared on our radar. One such cause that we hope to support in any way possible is the Nathan Ford Appeal, which is detailed on our Contributors page as part of this issue being dedicated to the stricken triathlete.
It is worth posting a link once again to the GoFundMe page that has been set up, and if you click the big button below you can go directly to the family’s fundraiser and make a donation that I know will be gratefully received.
From a personal perspective I do not know Nathan…but I do know a member of his family. His ‘Aunt Sal’ (yes – really!) has worked in the same office as me for a number of years and to put it simply she is one of the finest people I know. Sal’s always been there for me and so I’ll do anything to help her and her nephew, short of wearing a Cardiff City shirt. The whole family has a strong connection to the Swans too, which I won’t discuss here as it isn’t my place to infringe too much on their privacy, but believe me when I say there is a very strong bond with the Jack Army here.
So please, if you can spare a couple of quid, consider helping Nathan and his family as he begins the long road to recovery.
