Hi Imperial,
Today we want to share with you a very special Darts Champion. Marcus.
Marcus’ mum experienced Macmillan’s support when her husband passed away in November 2022. She was grateful for the support she had received but hadn’t had the chance to say thank you. Marcus' mum was diagnosed with cancer the following year and passed away the same month.
At the point of diagnosis, Marcus was able to discuss the options for his mum with a Macmillan Nurse, which he says was a great help.
A darts player himself, Marcus decided that a darts day was a perfect idea and a great way to honour his parents in a way they would have loved.
So, he set himself an impressive challenge. His mum and dad had both enjoyed playing darts while running pubs for two decades, and he wanted to put together an event that gave everyone in the local community a way to get involved.
The darts event had three boards on the day:
One for the darts players who wanted to take things a little more seriously
One for anyone to come along and have a play - this was for everyone, no matter their ability.
One at a lower height for the kids.
Marcus reached out to local businesses and gathered prizes for a raffle (including a separate raffle for kids). This meant that if someone didn’t want to play darts, they could still take part in the incredible day by donating in exchange for a raffle ticket.
This bunch of Darts Champions (more than 130 adults and 30 kids) all reached 100,000 points within a few hours of the event beginning, so they increased the target for the rest of the day.
Extra fundraising tips from Marcus:
Create an events page with regular updates to keep people interested.
Make a promotional video including asking people why they’re getting involved.
Include everyone in the day - not just the serious darts players.
Consider making it a gold coin (£1 or £2) donation for everyone playing darts that day (all ages).
Marcus showed us what it means to be a true Darts Champion for people living with cancer. Thank you Marcus. And thank you to you too, Imperial. We're just as grateful for all the hard work you're putting in to host your event.
Kind regards,
The Macmillan Darts Marathon Team
