First steps

So, only a matter of weeks from the end of January I was to complete a few steps to start off my volunteering at home before my project overseas. I had to fundraise a least £800. It was very hard at first, getting time off work, committing all my free time to the activities that I had planned. 

I think everyone has a guilty pleasure for cakes, cookies and desserts altogether! Muffins however, were something i wanted to bake for a long time, so now was my chance...

Chocolate chip muffins

 with chocolate ganache surprise in the center

Blueberry muffins topped with oaty cinnamon streusel 

Sugar free apricot muffins with oaty streusel

So these took an amazing hit in Doncaster, with friends, work, families, family’s workplaces and also all my grandparents with sugar free and vegan specialties baked if requested! They also kept selling for weeks, more requests each day, so I then parcelled them all up with a thank you tag to each customer :)

I also did some bucket fundraising at Iceland supermarkets and in a few pubs around Doncaster Town Centre whilst the races were on! Raised about £100 altogether through that with the help of my boyfriend to come round with me haha. Put on a car boot with the help of my dad also, sold a lot of junk from my younger years and also promoted the charity with my fundraising bucket! 

As weeks were speeding up and my deadline was fast approaching, I started to talk to a few friends at Cask Corner Dive Bar, a favourite bar of mine and is quite famous in my hometown! They offered to help as much as they could and accepted my offer to put on an all-day fundraising gig! 

The outcome was incredible!! So happy with everyone who took part, awesome people that anyone would be glad to meet here. Julie Buckley, the owner is an amazing woman and helped out so much as a friend, can't thank everyone enough, but to remind them all of their hard work, they helped me to raise: £392.00!! Here are some photos of the event, taken by my lovely friend, Alison Prioult:

Please bear in mind, all my fundraising donations do not directly pay for my placement, flights, visas or vaccinations. It all contributes to the ICS programme so that thousands of young people like me from the UK and overseas can volunteer on projects in the developing world and fight poverty.