Laura has been supported by Thera East Midlands for 15 years, attending their day support multiple times a week. Paul Bastock, her stepfather, was motivated to raise money after seeing the great work that is done there and the impact it has on people within their local community.
I have seen the good that the support does not only for Laura but for all the others. They’re a brilliant staff team and a brilliant organisation and I just feel that if there’s anything to do to help we should.
To raise money, Paul organised a number of events throughout the year at his local golf course including a charity golf day, a barbecue, a captain’s ball, charity boxes for when people knocked balls into a pond, and an auction where they auctioned off football memorabilia (Paul used to be a professional footballer). Paul explains:
I was the captain of my local golf course so we were able to organise a lot of events. At the time I was also the assistant manager of Boston United and we were able to use that position to auction off football memorabilia. Laura has thoroughly enjoyed it. She’s become a bit of a local celebrity.
This is not the first time Paul has raised money for Thera East Midlands. Over the years he has organised several fundraising drives to benefit the day support in Boston.
This is the third time I have raised money for Thera East Midlands. I do it every few years because I want to give people a break from having to donate. We raised £7,075 this year, and about £6,000 3 years ago. The time before that we raised £4,000, so it’s definitely becoming more popular. It goes to the day support so the people who use it have the opportunities to do the things they want to do or the resources they need.
Paul goes on to explain that raising funds can benefit yourselves as well as the people you fundraise for:
It puts smiles on the faces of all the adults there and we get a lot of fulfilment and gratitude from being able to see that.
Sarah Page, Thera Fundraising Lead, said:
What Paul has done for Thera East Midlands is an amazing achievement and we are so very grateful for his support and for the support of his golf club and its members for supporting Paul in his many fundraising efforts over the years. The money raised will make a huge difference to the support we can provide to everyone attending our day support in Boston.