A NORTHAMPTON hospice has received more than £1,000 of additional funding, thanks to a viral campaign on LinkedIn.
#SingForCynthia, the brainchild of Ryan Bishop from car leasing firm Silverstone Fleet Management in Northampton, encouraged people to sing a song of their choice to camera and then nominate two other people to take on the challenge. When uploading their video to LinkedIn, those that took part would donate to a JustGiving page, share the #SingForCynthia hashtag and share the link for others to donate.
The campaign, in aid of the Cynthia Spencer Hospice, launched in October with a fundraising target of £1,000 and really captured the hearts of the local business community with people across Northamptonshire taking part from their cars, offices and homes.
The campaign ran throughout October with nearly 100 people taking part, eventually raising £1149.49 for the hospice.
Scott Norville and Ryan Bishop presented a cheque to Nina Gandy from Cynthia Spencer Hospice.
Scott Norville, Managing Director of Silverstone Fleet Management, said: “We selected Cynthia Spencer Hospice as our Charity of the Year and wanted to raise as much money for the charity as we could. #SingForCynthia was an idea our Sales Manager Ryan had and we just went with it, not realising how big it would become.”
Nina Gandy, Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser at Cynthia Spencer Hospice, said: “The #SingforCynthia campaign has been fantastic and really shows how such a simple idea can take off. It has put everyone who took part outside of their comfort zone, but all for a great cause. The campaign has not only raised money for the charity, but raised awareness too.”
The money will now go on to fund two days of care for a patient at the hospice, as well as fund a Hospice at Home Nurse for an overnight stay.
“We have seen some great videos and hidden talents which raised a staggering £1149.45,” added Scott. “We are thrilled by everyone’s commitment to this and it’s been great fun to do, so thank you to the Northamptonshire business community.
“As Silverstone Fleet Management is a privately-owned company based in Northampton, we want to give something back to our local community. The special care Cynthia Spencer Hospice provides has touched many people in Northampton and we will continue raising funds for this fantastic charity during 2020.”