Bingo. Bake Sales. Bungee jump. There are hundreds of different ways you show your support for our charity. But no matter how you choose to support us, every penny you raise helps us be there for the next patient who needs our help.
For Recycle Week 2022, we’re shining the fundraising spotlight on Janice and David Lipscombe who, for the past four years, have been recycling goods to support our charity. In that time the recycling duo have raised more than £6,000.
But just how do they do it?
From the early days of collecting cans for Tesco to the current day, David and Janice now boast a total of 27 bins – one even being at their own home – from Fair Oak to South Wonston.
“We feel that by recycling cans which are often discarded on the street or in general waste bins,” says Janice, “we are helping in a small way to tidy up our environment and helping support the Air Ambulance.”
When they teamed up with Lara, a lady who lived nearby who was interested in their scheme, word spread quickly throughout the community.
“Lara offered to host a bin and put the word out to what we were doing. And within no time at all people were wanting to get involved. Since then, we have grown our Facebook page to over 100 members,” says Janice.
The impact
Since the start of their project, the recycling group have raised £6,500 for our charity – just from recycling items that would have otherwise gone to waste! That’s almost two life-saving emergency missions.
“The whole experience has been enlightening,” says Janice. “Meeting like-minded people who are simply amazing. Some collect from their own use and others have involved their neighbours.
“We have clubs, pubs, churches, scout and guide groups and local businesses, such as idverde. And, more recently, a local litter pick group came on board.”
When they first started collecting, the group were averaging around £12 a month in donations. Four years on, the team raise between £200 and £600 each month – sometimes even more. This year they have set their sights on raising £5,000.
“A highlight was hearing from a couple of our collectors who have first-hand experience of the Air Ambulance service when they desperately needed help,” says Janice.
Want to get involved?
If you want to make a direct impact on people in your community by supporting your air ambulance, you can get involved by either donating aluminium cans or by hosting a bin of you own.
Join the group on Facebook, Aluminium Can Recycling (Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance), or email Janice at [email protected] today!
