Thank you for registering your NHS Big Tea Party. Here are some fantastic resources to help you raise lots of dough!

NHS Big Tea Resources Download

Thank you for registering your NHS Big Tea Party. Here are some fantastic resources to help you raise lots of dough!

Please click the links below to download your resources pack! Everything will open in a new window.

It includes:

Invite poster (to let people know where your party is)
Thank you poster (to say how much you raised)
DIY bunting (to decorate your venue)
Digital banners (to use on social media)

English resources

Welsh resources

WELSH A4 Invite poster [PDF]
WELSH A3 Invite poster [PDF]
WELSH A4 Thank you poster [PDF]
WELSH A3 Thank you poster [PDF]
WELSH Bunting page 1 [PDF]
WELSH Bunting page 2 [PDF]
WELSH Digital banners (Style 1) [Zip file]
WELSH Digital banners (Style 2) [Zip file]
WELSH Digital banners (Style 3) [Zip file]

Planning your NHS Big Tea Party

A step-by-step guide to help you plan the best possible tea party that will raise money to benefit your ward or service

Thank you so much for signing up to host an NHS Big Tea Party in aid of Awyr Las. Here are some handy hints to help you plan the perfect tea party. If you have any questions, please contact the Awyr Las Support Team:

01248 384395

awyrlas@wales.nhs.uk

Choose a venue

You will need an appropriate venue – somewhere with a space for people to chat and enjoy a coffee and a slice of cake, with easy access to kitchen facilities for handwashing, clearing up, making drinks and storing food. You’ll also need a table to lay out your cakes. If your party is going to be held on a ward or in the main hospital area, you’ll need to make sure you have permission from the right person or people first. They can help with planning and making sure the party isn’t going to cause an obstruction or hazard. If you’re not sure who to ask, contact the Awyr Las Support Team for help! Remember to consider what time you hold your party – make sure it’s at a time your guests can attend.

Invite your guests

Once all your team members know about the party, think about all the other people you would like to invite. You could invite:

Retired colleagues
Your friends & family, and friends & family of colleagues
Colleagues from nearby wards / offices (you could have one big party!)
The Robins and other volunteers
Patients and their family members
Former patients and their family members
Members of the Hospital Management Team / Area Leadership Team
Community Champions from your local supermarkets
Local business representatives
Local MPs / AMs

Think about how people will learn about your party. There are so many ways to invite your friends, family or colleagues! Put up posters (see the resources pack at www.awyrlas.org.uk/nhsbigtea), send out email invites, use social media and set up a WhatsApp group. The Awyr Las Support Team has branded noticeboards that can be installed on or near your ward. Get in touch to have one installed and use this as a way to let people know about your party.

Fundraising Materials

The Awyr Las Support Team has prepared a great range of materials for your NHS Big Tea Party. Take a look at the resources pack on this page and download posters, DIY bunting, and graphics for social media. The Awyr Las Support Team can also provide you with fundraising tins or buckets to collect donations. You may want to consider selling some promotional items at your party to boost the money you can raise, such as:

Balloons
Stress balls
Pens

Contact the Awyr Las Support Team for more information about these items,

Bake or Fake

Make your own cakes, ask friends, family or colleagues to contribute a bake or pop to the shops and fake it – no one will mind! You’re there to have fun and support a great cause. For tips on selling homemade cakes, see the “Fundraising with Homemade Cakes” section of this guide. Local supermarkets are usually happy to donate food and soft drinks for these sorts of events. Contact the Awyr Las Support Team for a letter on headed paper you can use to make requests.

Raise Money

Ask your guests for a suggested donation to come to your event or have a suggested donation for each cake and/or cup of tea – both ways work well!

Fundraising Activities

Organise some games for your event and ask guests for a suggested donation to take part. For example, “Guess the Weight of the Cake” – this is a simple but great way to get involved. Another easy game is “Guess How Many Jellybeans are in the Jar. You simply ask participants for a donation in return for a guess – the person with the closest guess wins the cake or the jar of sweets. Or how about organising your own tombola or raffle? To find out more about organising your own tombola or raffle, contact the Awyr Las Support Team.

Have Fun and Take Photos

The Awyr Las Support Team would love to see any photos you have taken of your NHS Big Tea Party. Email them to awyrlas@wales.nhs.uk, or post them to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, remembering to tag @awyrlascharity and use the hashtags #NHSBigTea and #NHSCharities.

Thank Everyone

Thank your guests for supporting your event and for their donations. If anyone has donated a raffle prize, remember to let them know how much you have raised. The Awyr Las Support Team can help with thank you letters and certificates for local businesses – get in touch to learn more.

Collect and Bank

Remember to pay in the funds you have raised as soon as possible after your event. The easiest thing to do is pop to your nearest Hospital General Office when your party has finished. Colleagues there will help you count up the money, deposit it into your fund and issue you with a receipt. If anyone you have invited can’t make it on the day, remember that they can still donate!

In person: Cash, cheque and card donations can be made at their nearest Hospital General Office
Online: Using the donation form at www.awyrlas.org.uk/nhsbigtea
By cheque: Cheques made payable to Awyr Las can be posted to Awyr Las, C/O General Office, Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, LL57 2PW. Cheques should be accompanied by a note that includes the donor’s name & address and the name of the ward / department that the donation is for.

Activity Timeline

4 weeks before the party

Send out your requests for raffle or tombola prizes
Invite your guests

3 weeks before the party

Plan the activities you’ll hold at the event and make a list of what you’ll need
Buy any materials or decorations you will need, or ask a local supermarket if they can donate some items

2 weeks before the party

Follow up with the businesses you approached for raffle prizes that haven’t got back to you yet – can they provide a donation of food for the party instead if they can’t give a prize?
Draw up a plan of what will happen on the day, when and who will be responsible for each task

1 week before the party

Send a reminder out to your invited guests
Check everyone knows what they are doing – who is sorting the decorations? Have enough people volunteered to bake?
Do a last minute push for raffle or tombola prizes – who else can you ask?
Check with the person in charge that it’s still OK to hold your party at your chosen location – send them the plan for the day and confirm the times your event will start and end

The day of the party

Set up your space – lay out a tablecloth and display your cakes, get plates and cups ready, put up any decorations you’ve prepared
Get your fundraising tins ready to accept donations
Remind everyone on your ward that the party is happening today and that they can pop along for some tea and cake
Take lots of photos and share them with the Awyr Las Support Team
Ask a member of your team to say a few words about what the party is raising money for – explain what the donations will go towards and any projects you are fundraising for at the moment
Have fun!
Bring your donations to a Hospital General Office once the party has finished

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