The Leeds-based company has held online raffles to raise funds for local children’s cancer charity Candlelighters, with the total raised now standing at over £150,000.
Owner Liam Griffin wanted to support a local charity, so he chose to raise funds for Candlelighters, who are also based in Leeds and offer a range of support services to families facing childhood cancer across Yorkshire.
Liam has raised money by hosting several online raffles and donating a percentage of ticket sales to Candlelighters – with this totalling £45,000 from one raffle alone. The raffles were hosted on the online platform Raffall and featured prizes that were generously donated by the company’s industry contacts, including tool bundles with a value of up to £5,000, a Volkswagen Transporter and a Ford Van.
Oakwood Garden Rooms’ channels have a huge following across the UK, so it makes sense to promote the raffles there. As a consequence, Liam has seen tickets for each raffle sell out in under 24 hours and has delivered prizes to winners based all over the country – in Northumberland, Romford and Bognor Regis, to name a few.
Liam: “I’m shocked at the amount of money we have been able to raise and can’t believe the support we get from all our social media followers. My dad fell ill in early January, and just six weeks later he lost his short battle with cancer. I was with him every step of the way and I understand how difficult and dark such times can get. I can’t imagine going through that whole scenario with a child, so we will continue to support Candlelighters.”
Reflecting on the difference that Oakwood Garden Rooms’ fundraising will make to Candlelighters, Iain Blackwood Hobbs, Partnerships Executive at Candlelighters, said: “Liam and the team at Oakwood Garden Rooms have gone above and beyond for Candlelighters over the last 18 months. To have raised over £150,000 in such a short space of time is absolutely incredible, and this amazing support will have a huge impact on families going through a childhood cancer journey. Businesses and communities support Candlelighters in many different ways – from running events to sky diving and hosting coffee mornings – but Liam is utilising his large online following to fundraise for us, which shows just how powerful online platforms can be in supporting local charities. We are all looking forward to seeing what Liam will go on to achieve and raise this year and beyond”.
You can find out more about the work Candlelighters does on their website at https://www.candlelighters.org.uk/
Oakwood Garden Rooms are based in Oakwood, Leeds, and design and build bespoke garden offices and garden rooms for clients across the UK. You can find more information about Oakwood Garden Rooms on their website: www.oakwoodgardenrooms.com
For more information about the online raffle platform Raffall, visit: https://raffall.com
Cover photograph: Liam-Griffin-owner-of-Oakwood-Garden-Rooms-with-Iain-Blackwood-Hobbs-Candlelighters-Partnerships-Executive-and-John-Bodaly-from-Oakwood-Garden-Rooms 29 September 2022
