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

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.

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.

Business people who share The Message Trust’s aims and Christian values are warmly invited to become part of the Message Business Network.

The Network offers a great way to get involved with Message life alongside CEO Andy Hawthorne and the senior management team.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur just starting out or a seasoned business person, you’d be welcome along at one of our breakfasts, dinner events with top business speakers and round tables.

Current Network member Gordon Haynes, MD of Safe Records Management, says, ‘Whether someone’s from a large or small enterprise, The Message Business Network is a really great way to engage with this dynamic, cutting-edge Christian charity.

‘It not only enables you to share your knowledge and expertise in a way that will really make a difference but also provides an opportunity to meet with, and be encouraged by, like-minded people working in today’s demanding business environment and for me that has had tremendous value.’

For more information, please contact Gordon Haynes at: gjh@safegroup.co.uk  or 0161 345 4848.

The cyclists included three members of Message staff, Alan Saunders, Gary Bolton and Nathan Milnes. Alan and Gary (pictured) added an extra challenge by cycling the whole route together – on a tandem!

Comments Gary, ‘I was exhausted by the end of it, but I’m really glad I did it. It was a big achievement.’

Well done and a big thankyou to everyone who took part.

See some pictures of our Cyclists in action here.

The Cycle Challenge is just one of several Sponsored Events run this year by The Message to raise much-needed funds. If you’d like to take on a challenge, from a cycle ride to a mountain climb, find out more here.

The Message is looking for supporters to get ‘on their bikes’ this autumn by taking part in the Lancashire Loop Cycle Challenge to raise money for our work with young people.

The Challenge, which takes place on Sunday 27 September, offers cyclists a choice of three scenic routes through the Lune Valley, Bowlands Fells and the Ribble Valley.

The route choice is 18 mile (suitable for families with children wishing to cycle together), 54 mile or a 100 mile. The Challenge is fully marshalled with water points, first aid, toilet facilities and refreshments.

Places are strictly limited, so supporters are advised to register quickly to make sure you get a place. Registration costs £15 per cyclist.

For further information or to register, contact Tess Hartley by email or telephone 0161 946 2304.

Our work in Manchester and beyond is helping tens of thousands of young people like them. But with your help, we could do do much more.

Please click here to give online right now.

A regular gift, no matter how small, is the best way to help us reach more young people year by year.

To set up a regular gift by Direct Debit, please contact Jo Nicholson, Supporter Relations Officer, on 0161 946 2328 or contact her by email.

Thank you so much,

Andy Hawthorne.

Bid for six unique ‘Money-Can’t-Buy’ prizes representing the very Best of Manchester.

All the auctions are being handled at no cost to us by eBay and Mission Fish. 100% of money raised through this auction will be put to work enabling The Message Trust to help the hardest-to-reach young people in Greater Manchester’s schools, communities and prisons.

Auctions open 11pm on Friday 3 July  and close at 11pm Monday 13 July. So don’t hang about - get bidding!

Click on the auction lot you are interested in to be taken through to the eBay page for that item.

1.    Behind the Scenes at a Manchester United Champions League Game

Feel the atmosphere of a top flight fixture – locker room, tunnel, pitch and press room plus, of course, the game! A whole ‘access-all-areas’ match day for two people with Old Trafford facilities guru Gordon Shields.

2.    Be the Editor of the Manchester Evening News for the Day

Spend the day with Paul Horrocks, Editor of the MEN: attend his editorial meetings, help chase down the day’s biggest stories and help to choose the front page of our city’s legendary newspaper.

3.    A Day in the Life of Greater Manchester Police

A must for anyone who’s ever wondered what it’s like to be a copper! Visit the control room, see forensics officers at work, go out on in a patrol car, visit the dogs and horses… and have tea with the Chief Constable, Peter Fahy.

4.    Man the Sports Desk at the Manchester Evening News

Be the first to hear any transfer news, chase down the biggest sports stories of the day, interview the stars and attend a press conference with either Sir Alex or Mark Hughes. A once-in-a-lifetime experience for a sports fan.

5.    Be Gordon Burns’ Special Guest at BBC North West Tonight

Up to four people can watch the region’s top news programme coming together, attend rehearsals and see the show directed live from the Director’s Gallery, as the special guest of Gordon Burns and his fellow presenters.

6.    A Guided Tour of Coronation Street with Star Tupele Dorgu

There’s no better prize for a Corrie fan! Your personal tour guide Tupele (Kelly Crabtree) will show you round all the sights of Weatherfield and introduce you to fellow cast members on a filming day of Britain’s best soap.

The Message Trust would like to thank all the wonderful organisations who kindly donated all six once-in-a-lifetime prizes for our auction. You truly are the ‘Best of Manchester’!