Funding your celebration

Playday event organisers are brilliant at getting something for nothing – this doesn’t have to be money; it could be time, food, or even furniture! Don’t forget, Playday events don’t have to cost the earth.

These top tips have been devised by Playday event organisers for Playday event organisers.

Apply to local trusts and grant giving bodies, or your regional arts council might have available funds.

Fundraise on the day by having a raffle or one or two stalls.

Get in touch with your local volunteer centre and get volunteers to help with your event.

Identify who can provide freebies and ask for them!

Invite local fire services to your event. They could provide water for a water slide in return for allowing them to run demonstrations. Ask other services such as Primary Care Trusts, Pre-School Learning Alliance etc how they might be able to help, in return for giving them access to their target audiences.

Join your local Freecycle group and keep a lookout for resources you could use for your event or post a request for something specific.

Local businesses can provide lots of raw materials for playing with at your event. Supermarkets can provide products, beyond food (and cornflour for custard walking!), ask builders yards for natural materials, ask scrap stores for free resources and borrow resources from toy libraries.

Raise sponsorship from local businesses or ask for donations in kind, for example equipment or staff.

See if a local printer will provide free printing or at cost price in return for having their logo on your promotional materials.

Write individual letters to local businesses outlining what you want from them and what you can give in return.

Your local authority’s website may have a free online search facility to explore a range of local funding in your area.

For more information on funding, check out our Fundraising section or the relevant section of the our ‘get organised’ guide.