Fundraising From time to time, Acorn runs fundraising events and initiatives for specific projects, in line with our charitable objectives - these projects could be for anything, but are often related to developing our outdoor provisions and maximising opportunities for children to engage in the natural environment. Below is a list and brief outline of all the fundraising projects that we are currently running, and how you can get involved. Did you know? You can support us at absolutely no expense of your own through any eligible Amazon purchases you make, using Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile is just like using the normal Amazon website, but instead when you make your purchase, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to a charity of your choice, without any increase to the amount you pay. When setting up your account with Amazon Smile, search for Acorn Early Years Foundation, in the 'pick your own charitable organisation' search bar. Once selected, Amazon will make a donation for any future eligible purchases you make through the Amazon Smile website. All money raised through Amazon Smile will be spent on Acorn's tree planting initiative - please see below. Current fundraising initiatives Tree planting Description: In 2020, we planted 450 trees at our outdoor learning centre in Bletchley. In 2021, we aim to plant almost 500 trees across our settings, but predominantly at our new outdoor learning centre at Emberton. All trees are native deciduous trees, and include saplings using the Woodland Trust's trees for schools scheme, as well as larger 4-7 ft trees that we purchase using money from fundraising activities and Acorn's own working capital. By planting trees, we aim to develop opportunities for children to engage in the natural environment, whilst also contributing to a carbon neutral world with each tree absorbing large amounts of CO2 over their lifetime. Target Amount: Ongoing - all money donated to this cause will be used on future planting initiatives Amount raised so far: £383.81 How to donate & upcoming events: There are currently no upcoming events, although we hope to run a community event in our new outdoor learning centre at Emberton in Summer 2021 If you would like to donate to our tree planting initiative, please contact us on 01908 510309 or email [email protected] Garden Development at Burton Latimer Description: Our nursery at Burton Latimer have a large outdoor space that they would like to develop to maximise its potential and provide continuous opportunities for the children who have free flow access to the garden at all times. The project is being completed in phases, with each phase developing something new in the garden area for each age group. So far, we have built an outdoor shelter, created a large 'woodland fort', and created a bus for the Acorns to play on. Other ideas include building a climbing area, mud slide, among many others. For every £2.50 fundraised, so far Acorn has contributed a further £1 to this project. Target Amount: £20,000 Amount raised so far: £10,943.01 (since June 2018) How to donate & upcoming events: There are currently no upcoming events, although as soon as covid-19 restrictions allow, we will be running fetes and other family/community events, hopefully starting later in 2021. You can donate by bringing old clothing to our nursery which we can then recycle - we get paid a small amount for each item of clothing we recycle. You can also donate by contacting Helen, the nursery manager at Burton, on 01536 726700 or emailing [email protected] Tree house construction at Stony Stratford Description: Our nursery at Stony Stratford has a lovely woodland garden which is located in a conservation area. In 2019, with the support of donations and volunteers from local businesses, we developed this area to provide an engaging and educational natural area that children at the nursery could access throughout the day. We are now looking at developing it further by building a tree house in a spectacular Yew tree situated in the woodland garden. The nursery are working with Ian Freemantle, a carpenter local to Stony Stratford, to develop this tree house, which will complement a wide range of activities and resources already available, including a small campfire, bird hide, large bug hotel, den building area, small stream, an area for growing plants and fruit/veg, among many others. Acorn believes that, by engaging children in nature at a young age, we will be nurturing them to form a caring and respectful relationship with it, which will in turn have long lasting benefits on the child’s wellbeing and on the natural world. Target amount: £1,750 (Acorn will match all donations made) Amount raised so far: £692.04 How to donate & upcoming events: You can donate by contacting Kate, the nursery manager at Stony, on 01908 870416 or emailing [email protected] We will be organising a local raffle - more information coming soon We are also planning a sponsored event - more information coming soon Planned completion: December 2021 Want to make a donation? We can accept donations for any of the above initiatives, or more general donations, via PayPal by clicking the button below...