Mad March raises £41,000 for PAC

POSITIVE Action on Cancer (PAC) is celebrating raising a record £41,234 in just one month during March. 

Skydives, running races, an abseil, tea parties, quizzes, coffee mornings, and an online spring auction were just some of the events that contributed to the small charity’s mammoth feat.

“The craziness of Mad March has just about died down and this week we have managed to complete the count up of how much we raised,” said Hannah Culff, fundraising and communications manager for the charity. “We are staggered to announce our appeal raised £41,234.45.

“We can’t thank everyone enough for their support. The month kicked off with our Bath Half Marathon runners pushing themselves to their limit. We also saw 22 people fall from the skies and 12 people cycle one of the toughest Sportives in the country.

“There were tea parties galore, pub quizzes, clothes swaps and coffee mornings. Our auction surpassed all our expectations and even our very own director abseiled down the Avon Gorge! To everyone who supported us – a huge thank you from the whole team at PAC.”

Founded in 1995, Positive Action on Cancer is a charity that offers free professional counselling to people affected directly or indirectly by cancer. The team give over 50 counselling sessions a week and help 250 people per year. They rely solely on fundraising and donations to offer their services.

“We couldn’t have dreamt about raising that sum of money for a second!” added Hannah. “As a small organisation we notice every single penny and it’s great to hit the new financial year with so much energy behind us.

“What started as a small team of runners running the Bath Half Marathon snowballed out of our control into something that has broken every record possible in PAC’s community fundraising history!

“Staff have been left feeling exhausted yes, but mostly in awe of our local community. For 31 whole days we were continuously inspired by the lengths people would go to raise money to support people affected by cancer in their local community.

“It was emotional and exciting! In our eyes everyone who took part, no matter what the size of their contribution, is a complete hero to us!

“Now, however, the nature of the beast is that we have to start again! While we had an incredible time during Mad March, our fundraising for the next 12 months started on April 1st and we can’t afford to sit and celebrate for long!

“We’ve got some really exciting things planned this year for our 21st birthday and we’re hoping to make it our biggest year ever. Our hope is that everyone will continue to support us and will keep spreading the word about us so we can continue to reach those who desperately need our help.”

To find out more about the charity or get involved with fundraising, go to www.positiveactiononcancer.co.uk.