Red Cross Appeal Week
Red Cross Appeal Week is an annual fundraising campaign involving thousands of British Red Cross staff and volunteers. During the first week in May each year, a huge range of fundraising events take place all over the country and collectors get out and about shaking buckets at supermarkets and train stations.
The beginning...
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 | | | Flag days in the UK can be traced back to the early 20th century. People were given a small flag in exchange for their donation, no matter the size of the contribution, and this became a tangible sign of support for a certain cause. | |
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The first British Red Cross flag day was held on 21 October 1915, with more than 10.5 million flags sold in London alone. Later, flag days for the Red Cross began to be held during the week of the birthday of Henry Dunant (8 May), founder of the Red Cross Movement and this became known as ‘Red Cross Week’ and, in 2007, ‘Red Cross Appeal Week’.
In 2008...
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| Red Cross Appeal Week fundraising now takes many forms, with hundreds of volunteers taking to the streets nationwide to carry out collections, and a whole array of events being organised. | | |  | |
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A huge variety of events in 2008 included a sponsored skydive in Salisbury, a school concert in Northern Ireland, a car wash in Cheshire and annual pub quiz in London. And thousands of Red Cross staff and volunteers generously volunteered their time to collect at stations and supermarkets all over the country.
To find out how you can get involved in Red Cross Appeal Week 2009, contact Chloe Day on cday@redcross.org..uk or 0844 412 2728.
If you can't wait until then, why not organise your own event today or sign up for a Red Cross challenge.
The tens of thousands of pounds raised throughout Red Cross Appeal Week every year goes towards helping vulnerable people in crisis in the UK and overseas.
These are some of the people we have helped over the past year.
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 | | | When Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh in November 2007, Manboru Bibi managed to get to a nearby Red Crescent cyclone shelter but her home was destroyed. A building project is ensuring people affected by the disaster have homes.
Read Manboru's story | |
 | | | After learning first aid from the Red Cross, volunteer Gary Smith used his first aid skills to save his own mother’s life when she choked on a cracker.
Read Gary's story | |
 | | | When Rachel’s husband was admitted to hospital with terminal cancer, her difficult life suddenly became even more traumatic – until someone called the Red Cross for help.
Read Rachel's story | |
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