Linda McTurk

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Why did you decide to fundraise for your chosen cause?

I have family members, plus close friends, who are affected by MS (multiple sclerosis). I enjoy baking, meeting people, and organising, so decided to put these skills to good use. I would love to see a cure / prevention of MS and other neurological disorders and I am delighted to help get there through fundraising.

How did you raise money?

As a keen baker I decided that a cake and coffee event was the best way for me to raise money in aid of the Anne Rowling Clinic. As I wanted to have a Christmas theme, I opted for the last weekend in November for my two-day fundraiser. I created an ‘event’ on Facebook and used this – as well as WhatsApp – to invite friends and family along.

As well as delicious cakes and treats, there was also a lovely selection of hand-crafted items for sale.

I enlisted the help of good friends to help serve the tea and coffee etc, and my daughters’ and grandchildren were in charge of the sales table. They priced all the goods before the event which makes life so much easier on the day. My sister-in-law is an excellent crafter and donated the most beautiful cushions, mug rugs etc. Other family members were also keen to help and they donated lovely knitted and crochet items.

Because we live in the country people have to travel by car and my husband acts as car park attendant. The fundraiser takes place from 10.30am - 3.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday morning is always very busy - I think people come early as they don’t want to risk missing out on the goodies!

The local community are very good at supporting me and if they cannot attend, they very kindly give a donation. The feedback I receive is extremely positive and people generally say “I hope you do this next year" – which I generally do.

Fundraising wisdom

I would say that you need to be organised and know your limitations. Except for the mince pies, I do all the baking that's for sale, but I purchase the mince pies on the day from a local bakery, as I find them time consuming to make plus, I feel I am supporting an excellent local business. I am so aware that I certainly couldn't run this fundraising event without the help of my family and friends who make the weekend so much fun.

Useful Links

Anne Rowling Clinic website