Bringing a touch of festive fun to the newsroom helped JMU Journalism students raise a record sum for Macmillan Cancer as our annual charity activities took centre stage again.
Beginning with our second successful Christmas Ball and culminating on the final newsday of the year, our reporters came up with a range of imaginative and challenging activities to generate donations.
Many donned Christmas jumpers for the occasion, with fundraising schemes ranging from simple cake sales up to a marathon 24-hour sponsored silence by Aaliyah Rugg, and the sight of fellow final year student, Josh Hodge, having his legs waxed.
In the end, everyone’s efforts paid off as £1,084 was raised for Macmillan – just over £50 more than last year’s total.
Aaliyah, who managed her own personal goal of gaining more sponsorship money than her efforts in 2015, said: “Everyone says that keeping quiet is easy but, honestly, they have never met me! I literally never stop talking.
“When it came to the actual day I was doing it, at first I thought it was easy, but then an hour later I just wanted to cry because everyone was talking and I couldn’t join in. It’s all for a good cause, though, and I’m actually really surprised in myself that I lasted the whole 24 hours – I didn’t think I had it in me.”
Josh said of his leg waxing: “Although it was time consuming and did hurt quite a bit, at the end of the day the money I’ve raised is going to a fantastic charity, so it makes the pain worth it.”
YouTube: Josh Hodge has his legs waxed for Macmillan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFujXvjFZDo
Christmas jumpers galleries: click on a thumbnail to enlarge the images
YouTube: JMU Journalism Christmas Ball slideshow