Stefan Sommerville recently trekked the Great Wall of China in support of Childreach International, raising £2200 in the process. Read what he has to say and how he overcame the challenge of raising the money.

“Raising £2200 for charity can be a daunting task, but it can be made easier by starting early and doing as many different fundraising activities as possible. The first thing I did after signing up for the Great Wall of China trek was to set up a Virgin Money Giving page and a Facebook group. This may not get you much to start with but I found that nearer the deadline, friends could be persuaded to donate after sending out messages to group members.”

Involving your family can also have its benefits, as Stefan found out:

“A large part of my total was raised from donations by family and my parent’s friends. I got hold of my mum and dad’s address book and emailed anyone who I thought might be interested in donating. I was surprised at how generous people were and simply setting aside ten minutes to send out some emails can raise a lot of money!”

After taking donations from friends and family, Stefan turned entrepreneur in an effort to increase his fundraising total.

“Another way I raised money was by selling jewellery. On a family holiday to Istanbul I bought about 25 pairs of earrings and five necklaces. I was able to negotiate on the prices and managed to buy some earrings at only £1 a pair thanks to the very generous shopkeeper. When I got back home my parents arranged for me to come to their offices to try and sell the jewellery for a suggested donation.

I received a lot of interest and many of my parents’ co-workers were happy to just donate without buying anything. All in all, selling the jewellery earned me around £250 towards my total.”

“I also did a few collections, including one on the tube. These were quite hard but if you’re confident enough it can be quite a good thing. I’d also recommend fancy dress, as more people will take notice of you.”

“I found one method of fundraising that turned out to be quite lucrative. Write letters to your local supermarkets and ask if you can pack bags for charity. Saturdays are the best as it’s the busiest time, and it’s possible to make a lot of money – anywhere from £100 to £200 a day depending on how busy it is and how good you are.”

Feel inspired? Why not check out some of our challenge events and see how much you can raise for Childreach International.