Jim Dobbs counts himself lucky that he’s never known anyone who has needed Saint Francis Hospice’s care. Yet, living in Thurrock, he admitted that he inevitably will at some stage.
It was the promotion of the Hospice’s Urgent Appeal on Jim’s favourite radio station, Time FM, that prompted him to start fundraising for the charity. Jim learned that with all charity stores closed, and fundraising events postponed due to the pandemic, Saint Francis Hospice is suffering from a huge decline in income.
He was staggered to discover that the Hospice needs everyone out there to find the £8.5m a year that will keep its doors open. With that in mind, he created ‘Jim’s Jukebox.’
People put £1 into the Jukebox via a JustGiving page and chose a song. Jim then played two songs live on Facebook that were connected in some way, even if it was through six degrees of separation.
The concept was simple; the result was super. Jim raised £170. ‘People’s generosity was staggering,’ he said. ‘They weren’t just donating £1 for a song, but 10 or 20.’
Jim admitted that some choices were dubious: from 1993’s Mr Blobby to 2000’s ‘Can We Fix It’ by Bob the Builder. But it was all part of the fun.
If you have a fundraising idea, no matter how small, then Saint Francis Hospice is here to support you every step of the way. Setting up a JustGiving page is fast, simple, and totally secure. If you’d like to find out more, then the Fundraising team would love to hear from you at fundraising@sfh.org.uk
