Thinking of what you can do to fundraise for charity can sometimes be harder than the challenge itself! To help get those ideas flowing we've created an A - Z of fun activities you can do that'll be sure to get your friends and family to support you and your chosen charity. Think outside the box Running a marathon is an amazing achievement, but if running isn't for you there are loads of other ways you can raise money for a local charity. On Localgiving we've had all sorts of wacky ideas including eating 3 whole chickens in an hour and sitting in a baked bean bath while having your head shaved plus some creative ideas such as a vote on which songs a choir will sing at an event. Think local! Once you've come up with your idea all that's left is finding an amazing local charity or community group to fundraise for - and that's where we come in. We've got thousands of local voluntary groups that would love your support! Find one in your area by simply entering your postcode into our search and scrolling through the groups closest to you.                       

Supporters of Bath Abbey have a huge task ahead. They are currently trying to raise £4.5 million for their Footprint project, a development programme to repair Bath Abbey's collapsing floor, install an Eco-friendly heating system using Bath's hot springs and create additional space and improved facilities for the half a million people who use the Abbey every year. One fundraising activity that took place was a 140 mile walk from Bath Abbey to Lambeth Palace, The Footprint Walk. The team set off on Sunday the 5th July and arrived in London 6 days later. Katie McGill, Development Officer from Bath Abbey explained that the #LocalHero campaign came at the right time to help promote their sponsored walk.   "#LocalHero seemed like a great way to encourage people to support the walk. It was nice that it didn’t matter how much people gave, just that the more supporters, the better chance we had of winning one of the prizes on offer. It was also perfect timing as the walk was due to start five days after the end of the #Localhero campaign. We had a rush of donations in the last days of the #Localhero competition as people really wanted their donation to count towards our score. It was very exciting to keep checking where we were on the leaderboard, wondering if we would make it into the top 5! It was also inspiring to see all the other brilliant fundraisers raising money for charities all across the country too." Strolling into 2nd Place The team, including the Rector, Edward Mason, Footprint Project Director Charles Curnock, Footprint Appeal Director Laura Brown & Churchwarden Emeritus Jeremy Key-Pugh managed to receive 103 points in the #LocalHero campaign landing them in 2nd place and winning them a £500 prize.  Currently, the team have raised over triple their original target and the total currently stands at £16,537.75, including offline donations, Gift Aid and their prize money. What's the secret to their success? Local support! "We’ve been spreading the word about the walk on our website, chatting to people about it on Twitter and Facebook using our hashtag #footprintwalk and via local media. The team of walkers were interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol, appeared in the local paper (twice!), in local magazines and blogs. We’ve also had lots of encouragement from local businesses, and the walkers friends, family and colleagues." See the team's fundraising page here or find out more about The Footprint Project.

To introduce the campaign we've got a very special video from Lord David Puttnam, who produced world famous films such as Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express and The Killing Fields. He also produced a wonderful film called Local Hero in 1983, which matches the name of our campaign. So, we asked whether he'd be willing to say a few words about it and we're thrilled to say he accepted! Watch the short video below to hear his introduction to the contest. How does #LocalHero work? This June, we're giving away £5,000 worth of prizes to the top 20 fundraisers. Participants will be ranked according to the number of unique online donors from whom they secure sponsorship throughout the month. To help you find a #LocalHero we've put together some handy resources such as an email template, social media banners and a PR template. Find them here. If you are struggling for inspiration then check out these examples of fantastic fundraisers to get those ideas flowing:      Do you want to be a #LocalHero? Sign up here!  

It’s cold, it’s dark, it’s wet and Spring can’t come quickly enough. For most of us there is shelter and respite waiting at the end of a day, but not everyone is so lucky. Thousands of people across the UK do not have secure housing, forcing people to sleep rough on the streets or in overcrowded bed and breakfasts or squats. It is hard to quantify the amount of people affected by homelessness - a term which does not just apply to those who sleep rough. Many people sleep on the sofas of friends or family. This means they are not counted in official numbers, making it harder to campaign for policy changes. Some people are more susceptible to homelessness. Those that struggle with mental health issues, drugs or alcohol abuse, bereavement or criminal offenders can find that, after a breakdown of a relationship or family ties, they are without solid accomodation. The knock-on effect is that other aspects of life can easily spiral out of control resulting in lost jobs and decreased health, making it harder and harder to support oneself. Whatever the situation, there are hundreds of local voluntary organisations that are there to offer support and help people get back on their feet - offering shelter or hot food, skill development to support employment and building confidence for those who have hit rock bottom. Here is a list of Localgiving members who are doing just that: St Petroc’s Society, Cornwall - Provides safe environments for 50 individuals to have a place they can call home, as well as offering individuals access to a variety of accommodation and specialist support services Sussex Night Stop, Sussex - Find a temporary safe place for young people to stay, usually host families from other members of the community, while working to find permanent housing Street Football Wales, Swansea - Aims to help end homelessness and poverty by facilitating the integration of socially excluded people back into their community Ipswich Housing Action Group, Suffolk - Relieves need, hardship and distress amongst the homeless by providing accommodation and associated amenities Calderdale Smartmove, West Yorkshire - Provides accommodation for local vulnerable people as well as many different courses such as healthy lifestyles, growing your own fruit & veg, IT skills, help with reading and writing, managing money and training to become a volunteer Launchpad Reading, Berkshire - Helps disadvantaged people in Reading turn things around by providing a home, education, training and employment skills to help them move on in life and provides substance misuse support Action Foundation, Newcastle - Provides support and opportunities to help overcome exclusion, especially working with asylum seekers and refugees The Choir with No Name, London -  Helps marginalised people find their confidence and skills, make friends, and move forward in their lives through the joy of singing together in a choir YMCA Scotland, Edinburgh - Is committed to youth empowerment, supporting young people to achieve their full potential in life. One25, Bristol - 80% of the women selling sex on Bristol's streets are homeless. One25 reaches out to women trapped in/or vulnerable to street sex-work, supporting them to break free and build new lives away from violence, poverty and addiction. Big Breakfast +, Swindon - Provides the homeless of Swindon with a hot breakfast and access to outreach workers. These are just a few examples of the wide range of services and support available. Have a look and see what's happening in your local areas here.  Date for your diary: Bristol Homelessness Awareness Week, February 20th to 26th, has been set up to raise awareness of homelessness.https://www.bristol.gov.uk/homeless-awareness-week       Found this blog post useful? You may also like:    5 free tools to share your organisation's story by Nisha Kotecha The Refugee Crisis: make a difference on your doorstep by Lewis GarlandThe Sky is the limit for daring Granny WendyDawn rises over Mount Kilimanjaro