Local Causes
We have run a number of Easter craft sessions to raise money for local causes. Children and their parents have come along to Belper Community Hall to make a variety of Easter crafts. All money raised has been donated to our causes. Belper Community Hall itself has benefitted, as well as the daughter of Belper’s Pet Shop, who has cancer and is raising money for immunotherapy treatment.
Musical Picnics
From 2011 – 2019, we were holding musical picnics in the park, raising money for worthy causes. Twistin Tots ran music sessions at selected venues and asked parents who came along to make a donation for the session. All the money raised went to charity usually split between Rainbows Children’s Hospice in Loughborough and GEM FM’s Cash for Kids initiative. Since their inception, these picnics raised over £10,000. 
We have now changed the approach for the Musical Picnics and from 2025, these will be intergenerational sessions with residents of Care Homes. Our first events are at Holbrook Hall on 5 and 20 August and you can find more information here.
Comic Relief
In the past we have raised money for Comic Relief. Initially we asked all parents to donate any spare change and Twistin Tots matched whatever was collected as a Comic Relief donation – enabling us to send between £30 – £40 to the charity. We then changed our approach and if mums and children came in fancy dress, we donated part of their class fee to Comic Relief. Over the years we donated about £700 to Comic Relief in this way.
Children in Need
We have raised money for Children in Need by asking parents and children to come in fancy dress and if they did, we donated some of the class fee to the charity. We had a variety of themes, including spots; fairies and pirates; and dress in red. We have also run sweepstakes to find out what Pudsey was doing for this fundraising activity. To date, we have managed to raise about £600 for CiN in this way.
Chatterbox Challenge
In 2014, we introduced a new fundraising challenge – the ICan Chatterbox Challenge – which aimed to help young children with speech and language difficulties. We asked the children to perform a series of new songs (Doh Rae Me with our Handbells and If you Ever Saw a Penguin) and get sponsored for performing them at classes. It was not a compulsory challenge, but our parents pulled out all the stops and we raised almost £200 in sponsorship which helped to train a teacher for children with these difficulties.
