Here are twenty inspiring ideas to get you started:

1. Swishing
Graphic designer Bethan Wilson is organising a Swishing (clothes swapping) party in April. Guests pay a small entrance fee and bring clothes they no longer want to swap for fabulous new ones – meaning you get to save money and raise money for The Message at the same time. Fabulous, darling!

2. Three Peaks Challenge
Conquering Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowden within the space of 24 hours is no mean feat (in fact it’s about 11,178 feet in total!) Josh and Ryan from Twelve24 will be part of a team of Message friends who will take the endurance challenge on during 2012. You could too!

3. Cider, cheese & comedy night
Message:Creative manager and part-time cider maker Dan Hasler is hosting a night of cider and cheese tasting with a special performance by Manchester-based comic Andy Kind. Keep an eye on our website for ticket information.

4. Family Fun Quiz
Reflex volunteer Les Hutchinson is organising a family quiz in Poynton where every question has something to do with the last 20 years. Teams can be up to six people and there’s something for everybody. The event takes place in June.

5. Photography for Sale
Multi-talented Twelve24 singer Christina Otoo-Anakwa will be selling limited edition prints of spectacular scenes captured around our beautiful city. Snap one up yourself during February.

6. Big Band Concert
Bus manager Julie Mason and trust fundraiser Helen Murphy are hosting a night of big band music in November to raise brass for The Message.

7. Running
Lots of our health-conscious staff will be attempting sponsored runs during 2012, including the Sheffield 10k (Sept), the Great South Run (Oct) and the Wilmslow half-marathon (March). Video specialist Bruce Marshall will outrun them all with five consecutive 20ks over the May bank holiday. Phew!

8. Sponsored 
Ironing
Pressed for time? In March, Reflex team leader Simon Sullivan will be auctioning 20 two-hour slots of ironing. Simon will come to your home, drink your tea and do all your ironing for you. All you need to do is make sure you’re one of the highest bidders as the totals in-crease (geddit?).

9. Bake sale
Lots of Message friends 
including administrator Ruth Barker will be baking up a storm in aid of our work during the year. Why not put on your pinny and join them, selling batches of delicious muffins, cupcakes or other sweet treats in your school, office or workplace?

10. Twelve gigs in 24 hours
Twelve24 are undertaking a gig-a-thon with a planned twelve performances in one day during May. Sponsors will be able to book the band to perform a private gig anywhere around Manchester. Let’s make them sweat!

11. Canoeing down the Thames
Missions director Ian Henderson will travel from Oxford to London down the Thames by canoe, taking in the sights as he goes. 
Which epic voyage have you always dreamed of taking?

12. Coast to Coast Bike Ride
A team of six Message staff will ride from the Irish to the North Sea in July, completing a mammoth journey 
of 147 miles. Sore bums are guaranteed, but so is loads of cash for The Message. Don’t forget your cycling clips.

13. Car washes
In Yer Face team member John Dean will put down his script in favour of a sponge in April as he aims to clean 20 cars in two weeks. We think it’s a wheely great way to raise cash fast for our crucial work in schools, communities and prisons. Why don’t you join him?

14. Zumbathon
Zumba is the latest dance and fitness craze to hit Britain – and anyone can do it. Give it a try by joining our massive two-hour Zumbathon taking place this summer in Cathedral Gardens. For more info, keep an eye on the Events section of our website.

15. Sponsored 
Evangelism
Message prayer coordinator James Aladiran is leading a team who will attempt 20 straight hours of evangelism in Manchester City Centre during the spring. If that sounds like good news to you, why not join them in March.

16. Fashion Show
Kicking off the year, Emma Owen and Emma Kizlauskas hosted a fashion show at The Message with bargain-priced fashions in Janary.

17. Plank for Glory
Genetik course leader Mat Walls is very good at lying still in odd places. It’s called Planking – and it’s much harder than it looks. Sponsor him to do 20 increasingly outrageous ‘planks’ over the summer.

18. Oil Paintings
Eden national 
director Matt Wilson 
will paint 20 Manchester landmarks in oils and aim to sell them all at an exclusive invite-only exhibition. Why not put your artistic skills to good use raising money for our vital work?

19. Dinner Jazz
Message staffers Dev Lunsford and Andre Adefope will team up with Reflex’s Tim Mycock to put on a sit-down dinner with live jazz. As well as cooking up a memorable night out, the gang hope to raise hundreds of pounds 
for The Message.

20. Your own idea
If you think it could raise money for The Message, give it a go! For more details about these ideas or for advice on setting up your own event, contact Tess Hartley on 0161 946 2304 or by email.

Keep track of all our fundraising endeavours during 2012 here on our website.

The Gala Dinner offers friends of the Message the chance to dine in five-star luxury at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel with live comedy from Tim Vine, and an address from Message CEO Andy Hawthorne. The night will also feature an auction of rare and outstanding prizes.

All in all, it promises to be a pun-missable night!

Individual tickets are not yet available for this event – instead tables can be booked for the price of £500 (excl. VAT) or £750 (excl. VAT) for a ‘Gold Star’ table which includes champagne, flowers and surprise gifts for your guests. To reserve your table, please contact Tess Hartley on 0161 946 2304 or email tess.hartley@message.org.uk

To start with, it is the best way of passing on your assets to your friends and family, exactly as you wish. If you die without a will, your assets may be divided according to what the law says, rather than as you would prefer.

It’s also the best way to make sure your family are taken care of after you are gone. It sets out who will look after your children if they’re aged under 18 and if you’re unmarried, you can decide how to provide for your partner.

A will is also a wonderful way to leave a legacy with your estate. Donations given to charity in your will go on doing good for years to come. A gift in your will can also be tax efficient: the recent Budget announced that if you leave 10% of your assets to a charity in your will, your estate may receive a 10% discount on any Inheritance Tax payable.

Working with the Message, Stephensons will offer discounted fees on your will.

For more information, contact Rob Gore, associate solicitor at Stephensons on 01942 774289, email him or visit 4willsandprobate.co.uk quoting MESSAGE.

Come and see for yourselves what goes on at Message HQ and find out more about our exciting plans for the future!

At our Open Day on Saturday 2 July you can hear the latest vision from Andy Hawthorne, sing along with our bands, engage with In Yer Face Theatre Company, come on board our mobile youth club, the Eden Bus, enjoy street games with the Eden teams and break out with Reflex.

There is also an opportunity to go behind the scenes, meeting the crew that keeps The Message on the road, including our creative and technical staff who will be hosting fun activities and sharing with you what goes on day to day. Plus there will be free food, drinks and ice creams and prizes to be won along the way.

It all starts at 11am and goes on until 3pm and is a must for all friends of The Message – and it’s completely free of charge. It would be great if you’re able to tell us you’ll be coming, but you don’t need to book and can turn up on the day.

For further information, please email Jo Nicholson at: jo.nicholson@message.org.uk

Hi, I’m Jo! I’ve been happily married to Mike for the last 17 years and we have two beautiful daughters. Amy is 15 and training to be a professional ice skater. Beth is 14 and has an amazing heart for people.

In fact, we have Beth to thank for introducing us to Jesus! She met him at the age of 5 thanks to a holiday club at Altrincham Baptist Church, and told her mum and dad all about him!

When the role of Supporter Care was created at The Message, lots of people called me to say they thought it had been written just for me!

I get to travel around churches and events on The Message stand – sometimes my family comes along too. Back in the office, I spend time chatting with our supporters, answering their queries and helping them make donations to our work over the phone, from setting up regular direct debits to talking about leaving a gift in their will.

It’s also a joy to hear people’s testimonies and words of encouragement and to pray with them. I really value every single supporter who takes the time to call.

Call Jo on 0161 946 2328 or email her.

Comedy legends Cannon and Ball will throw their support behind Manchester charity The Message Trust next week (Fri 19 Nov) when they take part in a Gala Dinner to raise funds for young people.

The duo will bring their trademark knockabout comedy and tell stories from over thirty years in show business. They rose from obscurity performing in clubs in Oldham to become one of the most famous TV comedy acts of the 1980s.

The Gala Dinner, which takes place at the five-star Lowry Hotel on Friday 19 November, will showcase the work of The Message and will feature first-person testimonies from young people who have been helped by the charity and an address from Founder and CEO, Andy Hawthorne.

An auction of fantastic money-can’t-buy items will top off the evening. Exclusive lots already donated include a behind-the-scenes day with Greater Manchester Police, a Caterham track day and an opportunity to professionally record your own EP.

Tickets for the Gala Dinner cost £60 and include a five-star, three-course meal. Tables of 10 places can also be reserved at a cost of £600.

For more information, please contact Tess Hartley at The Message Trust via tess.hartley@message.org.uk or 0161 946 2304.

Join us for another inspirational night on Friday 19th November at the 5-star Lowry Hotel for The Message Trust’s Gala Dinner.

The evening is not to be missed with special guests Cannon & Ball (pictured), inspirational stories of our work in and around Manchester from Andy Hawthorne and the young people we work with and a superb auction.

Prizes include a Caterham track day, a day in the life of the Greater Manchester Police, record your own EP, a week’s holiday in Florida…and much more!

A limited number of individual bookings are now available for £60 each. Standard tables of 10 (£600) are also still available.

To book your places or for further information, please contact Tess Hartley on 0161 9462304 or at tess.hartley@message.org.uk.

updates from a member of our team.

We can allocate you a staff member, or perhaps you already know someone who works for The Message and would like to encourage them with your support.

You’ll get to see first-hand the work they do, hear all the news and prayer needs first, and know that you are making a tangible difference on the streets, in schools and in prisons.

Darren and Emma Cormack decided to support staff member (and Flow design guru) Dan Hasler last year and now feel more connected to the vision of The Message:

‘Once you’ve committed to something financially as well as in prayer, I think you realise that you are a small part of what is driving the work, therefore you naturally become more interested in the outcome of what you’re giving to,’ comments Emma.

Your gifts help support the whole work of The Message and your messages of support really encourage our staff.

Call Jo Nicholson, Supporter Relations Officer, on 0161 946 2328 to get started.

A young man from Old Trafford who turned his problematic behaviour around to become a leader among his peers has won the Volunteer Award at the 2010 Urban Hero Awards, presented by Manchester youth charity, The Message Trust.

John McGuinness, 15, was until two years ago regularly being excluded from school and grounded at home. Anger and confusion at the early death of his father led to John making some destructive choices and getting a bad reputation in Old Trafford.

Ben Woodfield from Eden Old Trafford, a youth project run in association with The Message Trust, is John’s youth worker. He explains:

‘We knew John from the age of about 10. He was known in Old Trafford as a little rascal – or words to that effect! – and it was clear that his behaviour was starting to get out of control.

‘We began to get to know him, his mum Barbara and her partner Nick, and gradually John got involved in some of our youth activities.

We saw he was obviously a strong character and had leadership written all over him so we started mentoring him and as he entered his teenage years, we started to see a change. He began to get his head down and realise that some of the decisions he was making weren’t good for him.’

John found himself wanting to to put something back into his community and the Eden team helped to steer him towards suitable opportunities. But his discipline and commitment surprised everyone. Beginning with a regular slot playing in a church band, John began to get involved with his local community on a volunteer basis.

John started taking an active role in the work of Trafford Housing Trust, completing the first stage of an apprenticeship as part of their Repairs team. He also led the way in putting together a proposal for a new permanent play area for children on his estate.

Michaela Baker from Trafford Housing Trust comments, ‘John is inspirational in his commitment to see his local area improve. He gets involved on many different levels – he helps plan programmes, runs litter picks and gets fully involved in decision-making groups – often sitting with people with more experience than him but contributing at the same level.

‘He’s really well thought of within the Trust – people look up to him.’

John recently sat his GCSEs and has secured a place at Trafford College to study plumbing next year. He hopes to continue his work with the Housing Trust alongside his studies.

The Volunteer Award, one of five,was presented at this year’s Urban Hero Awards at Manchester’s Palace Hotel on July 9. The awards recognise young people who stand out as having made major changes in their lives or particularly positive contributions to their communities.

Ben Woodfield explains the reasons the Eden team nominated John:

‘People in the local community have been so impressed by him. He’s proved to us that he’s not just saying he’s changed – there’s real fruit to those words.

‘This is the story of a young guy who has started to make positive decisions in the face of some of life’s harder experiences and in an environment where some of his peers are failing to make those good choices.

‘We’re very hopeful for John’s future and excited about who he’s becoming.’

John’s Award was presented by Mick Spratt, MD of Wigwam Acoustics, the Award sponsor.

A young man from Old Trafford who turned his problematic behaviour around to become a leader among his peers was named Urban Hero of the Year 2010 last night (Friday, July 9).

John McGuinness, pictured right, also picked up the Volunteer Award for services to his local community at the third annual Urban Hero Awards, presented by The Message Trust.

The Awards recognise young people who have made exceptional contributions to their local communities over the last year – or have bravely overcome a major obstacle in their lives. All of the nominees have been directly impacted by the work of The Message.

Around 700 people gathered to celebrate the achievements of the winners. VIPs including Lord Mayor Mark Hackett, Chief Constable Peter Fahy and business leaders Sir John Zochonis and David Briggs joined celebrities including Olympian Diane Modahl and a host of stars from stage and screen.

Five awards winners were named before the overall Urban Hero of the Year was announced.

Fifteen-year-old Andrei Keating won the Achiever Award for impressing family and friends by transforming his attitude to school and achieving significant qualifications over the last year. Click here for Andrei’s story.

An innovative partnership between the church, police, local authorities and the housing association in Limeside, Oldham won the Champion Award. Click here for their story.

Nick Shahlavi, a former drug dealer who transformed his life and is now helping others transform theirs walked off with the Inspiration Award. Click here for Nick’s story.

And sixteen-year-old Cody O’Grady from Openshaw who fought aggressive cancer this year was named winner of the Courage Award. Click here for Cody’s story.

But the Volunteer Award and the overall Urban Hero of the Year title went to John McGuinness, 15, from Old Trafford.

Until two years ago, John was regarded as a local trouble maker, regularly excluded from school and a problem at home. But it all changed when he started getting involved with Eden Old Trafford, a youth project run in association with The Message.

As he began to be mentored by members of the Eden team, his leadership abilities quickly became obvious to everyone around him. Before long, John was volunteering regularly for his church, his local housing trust and other community activities.

Ben Woodfield, John’s youth worker commented, ‘This is the story of a young guy who has started to make positive decisions in the face of some of life’s harder experiences and in an environment where some of his peers are failing to make those good choices. We’re very hopeful for John’s future and excited about what he’s becoming.’

As well as his trophy, John was presented with ten drum lessons with LZ7 drummer Rob and a top-flight drum kit.

Staged at Manchester’s Palace Hotel, the night also featured live performances from The Message’s schools bands LZ7, Twelve24 and theatre company In Yer Face.

‘We work with 100,000 young people a year and this is just a snapshot of all those lives were involved with in Greater Manchester and beyond,’ said Message CEO and host of the evening, Andy Hawthorne, as he asked guests to give generously to support The Message.

‘But I’m frustrated. There’s so much more to be done. But there’s no way we can do it on our own. Thank you for all your support.’

The Urban Hero Awards 2010 was sponsored by Stagecoach and a host of north west businesses: Wigwam, Safe Records Management, Stephensons, The Grand and Jurang.

***

Urban Heroes in the Press: On Friday 16 July, the Manchester Evening News printed a special eight-page supplement celebrating the winners of the Urban Hero Awards 2010. Make sure you pick up your copy.

Watch each of the winner’s nomination videos via our Media Hub.

A gift to The Message Trust today will allow us to raise many more Urban Heroes in the year to come. Click here to give online.