Hospitality industry raises over £100,000 for the first Hospitality Action week

Hospitality workers have raised over £100,000 for the industry charity in the first ever dedicated fundraising week, specifically designed to put the ‘fun’ back into fundraising. 

In action-hero style, participants wore pants over trousers to raise money.  But, the fun didn’t stop there; hotels, pubs, colleges and suppliers created their own fundraising ideas…..

There were marshmallow eating competitions, dress-down days, raffles, cake sales, themed lunches, football matches, doughnut eating competitions, guess the corks in the bottle, guess the sweets in a jar, ice cream sales, sponsored trim trails, a sponsored team meeting held at the top of Scaffell Pike and Marco Pierre White’s pants were auctioned on ebay!  The week also saw a Great British Menu fundraising dinner, prepared by Jason Atherton and the finalists from the 2008 series and foam-filled fun in Holland Park for It’s a Knockout, raising further funds for the charity.

“The level of support has been overwhelming. The purpose of the week was not only to raise money but also to unite the hospitality industry in what are tough economic times. It was a great way to have some fun and every contribution however large or small is vital for our work, as we rely purely on charitable donations.  A big thank you to everyone who has taken part; we’re already looking forward to seeing what next year’s event will hold,” Penny Moore, CEO, Hospitality Action.

Snapped in your Pants! – Last call for entries

The “Snapped in your Pants” competition, sponsored by First Choice Coffee has already generated over 70 snaps of WonderWoman wannabes, Superman studs and bespoke beauties, sporting glitter, stickers and pom-poms. But there’s still time to get your entries in.  The winning photo will win four tickets to the Hospitality Sparkle Ball at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 14 October.  The winner will be chosen on Friday 26 June, so email your pics to fundraising@hospitalityaction.org.uk <mailto:hburgess@hospitalityaction.org.uk>

In the meantime, if you fancy a bit of a smile, visit the online photo gallery at www.hospitalityaction.org.uk <http://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk>

Get in on the action – Text to donate

If you missed out on the action this year but want to pledge your support, donate by texting the word ACTION to 82010.

Texts are charged at £5 plus one standard network rate. Hospitality Action will receive 60% of your donation (net of charges applied by mobile network operators and a processing fee).