Palletforce’s annual fundraising activities for the Wish Upon A Star Charity have been hit hard by the Covid pandemic.
But lockdown didn’t stop European Administrative Supervisor April Wood from dreaming up an innovative way of encouraging her colleagues to dig deep.
Twenty weeks pregnant with their first child, April and her partner Jordan – who works for Palletforce member Onpoint Logistics – were anxious to find out whether the baby was a boy or a girl. News spread to her colleagues, and it was decided to turn the momentous scan into a fundraising game.
“The game was simple,” April explains. “Everyone had to donate a minimum of £2 and take a 50/50 guess on whether we were having a boy or a girl. We also encouraged our family and friends to get involved.”
With April heading up #TeamBlue for a boy and Jordan leading #TeamPink the tension was high as the day of the big reveal dawned.
“We had the camera ready and followed very specific instructions written in envelopes with props,” says April. “There were a few little games during the reveal, with the ending being us both blindfolded facing one another with a neutral colour tube of paint in our hands. And the midwife was a star, placing a note with the gender in a sealed envelope so that we couldn’t not peek.”
When the envelope was opened, there were celebrations for those who had backed a girl. And between them Palletforce, Onpoint and family and friends raised over £200 towards making dreams come true for children with life threatening illnesses.
Despite losing, April remains cheerful. “Little does Jordan know that he’s going to be outnumbered by girls, who will soon run the household!”
