During lockdown 2.0 we, as a team, have set ourselves a challenge to fundraise £10,000 to provide 7000 children with free dance classes.

By raising £10,000, we could run 234 free dance classes enabling 7,000 children to share our joy of dance and physical creativity. These could be in schools, with vulnerable children, or with children and young people with disabilities. 

We want to make sure no child misses out on fun physical activities because of their financial situation. Recently it has really been highlighted in the media how many children don’t always have access to food which has thankfully been addressed but we want to go one step further. We want to give every child the chance to dance and be able to access the same opportunities that others have. 

We know our children and young people are crying out for creative, active classes and we want to help fill this gap. These children have been through so much and they deserve to feel good again. We at Integr8 know the benefits that a dance class can have and although some children have been able to rejoin their after school activities for a brief period, some families have been hugely affected by COVID and may not have taken part in a fun activity like this for months. Through this fundraiser we have a real chance to make a child’s day and would love your support to help make this difference in our communities. 

Why are we doing this now?

As you will be aware, the last 8 months have been incredibly challenging for small businesses, and Integr8 is no exception. Sadly we have not been able to start a lot of our classes and have missed all of our big summer events with no guarantee of when we will be able to start these again. We have been so grateful for the support of all of our Integr8 family, who helped us survive the lockdown. We had to use all of our reserves to keep the company running during the first lockdown and we have received minimal government funding so our fundraiser will be helping keep Integr8’s doors open while helping our communities. 

The pandemic and lockdowns are having a huge affect on mental health for both children and adults and we know that keeping in touch with them during this time and giving them a chance at some normality can have a real positive impact on their mental health.

We are setting ourselves a challenge to raise £10,000, to help Integr8 get through the next 2 months by doing what we do best, teaching! We want to make a real difference to children and young people’s lives during this lockdown and pandemic so we will be using this money to make a real difference. We are asking for support so that we can save Integr8 but also so that we can run free dance classes as our team love to be active and on their feet, we do not want to sit at home all day. At the start of the pandemic, all of our team volunteered in local schools to help them open with staffing shortages and we want to find a different way to help this time around.

What will we use the money for?

All money raised will be used for children, young people and their families. We do not seek to profit from this, but see it as a way that we can help both Integr8, our schools and help many others in return. Any left over funds after the pandemic will go towards things for the children and young people. We will be sharing how the money has been spent and look forward to showing you how many people we will reach with the positivity and strength of dance. 

How are we raising the money?

Crowdfunding - We have set up this Crowdfunding page in which you can donate. Donations can be as small or as large as you like! Just £10 would make a huge difference to our campaign, we only need 1000 people to be generous and donate £10. We will be adding some rewards as we go, so if you are able to donate a reward please get in touch.

Team events - The Integr8 team are going to be raising money in their own ways. Nicole is organising a sponsored event, Tasha is setting up an outdoor challenge, Ellie, Caitlin and Jenna plan to do a car wash and Mitch has said he’s going to climb Everest! (or the equivalent of)

Business sponsorship  - We are looking for any local businesses who would like to sponsor some of our fund raising! Get in touch with [email protected] if you would like more information.

Go 10k to help raise £10k - Nicole has set up a sponsored event for anyone in our Integr8 family to take part. The idea is you do 10k, walk, run, cycle, scoot or even dance in your own time, could be all at once or over multiple days. To take part you please contact [email protected] for a sponsorship form.

For many children, young people and families, Integr8 is our home. Help us get through this second lockdown while giving 7000 children and young people a much needed boost in this difficult time for us all.