Jump into 2023 with a new fundraising challenge 21 December 2022 Want to do something different for charity in 2023? Looking for inspiration for something a little more off-the-wall, a little less organised? If you’re looking for some DIY fundraising ideas, we’ve got some amazing inspiration from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland fundraisers. You could wrap up well and hunker down like the charity’s own Deputy Director of Services, Emma Knox, who camped out in her garden for five nights in the coldest temperatures of the year. Maybe you fancy a physical challenge like Louis who was 11 when he ran 50k in a single month in memory of his aunt. Handy with a jigsaw or proficient with a paintbrush? Alastair makes bird boxes in his spare time and donates the proceeds to CHSS, while Lillian donated dozens of her own paintings to her local CHSS shop. Take the plunge But perhaps you want to start 2023 with a real physical challenge. Look no further than the Port Seton Plunge! The Port Seton Plungers Since 2012, a hardy handful of swimmers in the East Lothian town, led by Ian Gordon, have been jumping into the Firth of Forth on New Year’s Day, raising thousands of pounds over the years for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. While the event is similar to the Loony Dook that takes place a bit further up the coast at South Queensferry, the Port Seton Plunge is a more informal event that relies only on word-of-mouth for participants. I chose the charity because I lost my dad to a heart attack when he was just 56, and we lost his brother a year later to the same thing. It was important to have a charity that really helps people with those conditions locally as you do. Despite its low-key nature – and the bone-chilling outcome of getting into the sea on the first day of the year – the event attracts a healthy crowd to watch the swimmers, in fancy dress, crest the waves at a part of the beach known as the boat shore. Ian, 51, lives in Port Seton with his wife Susan says: “I did the first Port Seton Plunge on New Year’s Day 2012 because I’d won a place in the London Marathon that year and wanted to kickstart my fundraising. “And the tradition has just stuck. We’ve gone from having just two of us do it to having maybe 10 turning up to brave the waves. The only year we missed was 2021 because of lockdown, but we’re all raring to go. Keeping it local “We never wanted the event to grow arms and legs and become a big corporate thing. We get a lot of support from the local pub, and it feels more organic and more real for us. More folk have joined year on year “I did my first fundraising event for CHSS in 2009. I chose the charity because I lost my dad to a heart attack when he was just 56, and we lost his brother a year later to the same thing. It was important to have a charity that really helps people with those conditions locally as you do. “My son Matthew, who is now 25, has been doing the plunge with me since he was 16. This year’s he’s going as Freddie Mercury and, if my costume arrives on time, I’ll be Elvis!” Whatever your inspiration for fundraising, CHSS is grateful for every single effort. Find more fundraising ideas