Just had an amazing offer...

[Desley (booktigger)]

I am really pleased it went well, and I am surprised that cakes wouldn't sell in this weather.

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

I was so so proud of him...especially because of the class and what the judge said to us (she commented on me being a good staffie owner cos there are so many bad ones out there) :D

They did have a stall dedicated to homemade cakes but that also did really badly...I think the only person that did well today was the ice cream man lol!!

This was a really good experience for me and now I'm set up for future events :D

[Tiggy's Mum]

Esco 

Pleased it went well  Shame about the glut of cakes, I wonder whether there was another cake stall before people got to yours - who in their right mind would pass by cakes 

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

Thank you for asking

Well I took the day off work yesterday and was very busy making lots of cakes and info boards and games for my stall...I was up till 4am!!!

It was good that the weather was nice but it was a bit too hot so the turn out wasn't great but I did raise awareness of Petsearch and got some good contacts so it was worth me going...came home with most of my cakes cos it wasn't really cake weather...oh well OH is happy!!

Esco also made me a very proud mummy because he got a first in the best rescue class I showed him in in the companion dog show :D

[Tiggy's Mum]

How did it go Steff? 

[Angiew]

Petsearch National HQ is no longer functioning because the founding members both passed away and no one carried it on...but volunteers were allowed to carry on their work locally using the Petsearch name...so unfortunately no packs or stickers or anything like that.

gosh that a pity, though I suppose there were quite elderly - didn't know......

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

Just had a response from the organiser...I'm in the show and I'm allowed to do my lost and found "cake" tombola and do my own fundraising.  The lady has also waivered the £10 pitch fee for me which I though was really kind of her

I'm off now to invite everyone in my Facebook group...if anyone is local and is free on Saturday please feel free to pop along and see me

Any other tips in the meantime would be gratefully received.

Thanks again guys 

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

I did wonder about the list of ingredients thingy...I am one of those nut allergy people that everyone worries about so I am very aware about all that stuff LOL!!

I am just waiting for confirmation from the events organiser that I can do cakes and that I can even do fundraising...she has put together the whole event as fundraising for Dogs For The Disabled...so not sure if I can fundraise for my own cause at another fundraising event...

[Karen-covcats]

Agree cakes are a great idea always sell out at our PTA events, Just to let you know though i think if you are doing cakes you have to have a list of the ingradients for each available. Think its to do with allergies. Not hard to do just thought id let you know.
Good Luck with the stall!

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

Thank you everyone for the positive thoughts and wonderful ideas 

I am planning on combining your ideas and doing a lost and found tombola and the prizes are home made cakes.  If you pick a "found cat" or "found dog" ticket you get an iced dog or cat cake.  Keeps within the lost and found theme and cakes will be cheaper than me buying prizes.

OH is getting t-shirts printed for us both - quite a big initial outlay but we will be able to reuse them for other events

Also gonna try to get some stickers made...if a supplier at work will do me a good deal!!!

Got a pasting table and a big white sheet...will put together as much info etc and am also going to make a home safe story board and include my newspaper article.

Petsearch National HQ is no longer functioning because the founding members both passed away and no one carried it on...but volunteers were allowed to carry on their work locally using the Petsearch name...so unfortunately no packs or stickers or anything like that.

P.S. Angie I'm pretty sure it was you who got me into Petsearch back in CC days

[Angiew]

my only comment with the cakes is be careful how much they cost to make - I think sometimes they cost as much to make as you get for them - which if you are just doing it for publicity is fine.

[Tiggy's Mum]

If you do decide to go down the cake route it's best to check with the organiser first that you're allowed - they might have already got lots of cake stalls and won't want too many.

If you are allowed and fancy doing it then as well as fairy cakes you could do flapjacks (easy peasy), gingerbread men (again, easy peasy), large choc cakes to sell as big ones. I have my Mum's recipes for Flapjack and gingerbread men if you were looking for recipes.

[clarenmax]

Defo agree with the cake suggestions, its always the busiest stand at the CP fayres by some way 

Best of luck, and hope it goes really well 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I agree with Helen .... when we did a fundraiser for Red nose day at work the biggest money maker was the cake stall.  Loads of fairy cakes 20p each or 6 for £1 ... that way you'll get the kids with their pocket money buying one cake as well as the adults buying a batch

If you have time to blag / steal a few good prizes then a tombola is a good money maker and relatively easy to set up.  Ask around all your friends and see if they can donate 1 thing for the tombola ... a bottle of wine, box of chocs, anything.

Do petsearch have "fundraising packs" .... pens / stickers / etc.  Kids love pens and stickers are a great way to advertise.  Anyone that comes to your stand stick a sticker on them and as they walk round other people will see the sticker ... subliminal implanting of the PetSearch name! 

Good luck and hope it all goes well.

[Tiggy's Mum]

I went to a animal rescue fun day with dog show etc recently and the busiest stall was the homemade cake stall so if you're allowed to sell homemade cakes then you could get friends and family baking their little socks off!

Not only would you raise some funds for the group but it would also attract lots of people to the stall to buy the cakes and then they can be brainwashed with petsearch info 

[Angiew]

You can't go wrong with a table cloth - get an old sheet , print off huge letters from the computer and use as a template to paint onto the fabric with some fabric paint or just paint the paper with ordinary paint and stick on for a temporary cloth.

people like games of chance so you could quickly devise something on the petsearch theme. I toyed with many idea including something as simple as throwing two dice and if the numbers are the same then they win something - though you would need to have a supply of gifts to hand out and it may be too late to blag anything.
or even a lucky dip with most bits of paper saying not found and a few with cats and dogs printed off (You could reward a category with a small gift ie find a black cat and win a cuddly toy, a brown dog and win mars bar....)

or put out a plea on your local freecycle for things to sell for a charity and just have a stall.

heres one I did earlier back in the days......

[Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ]

As you all know I am currently busing myself trying to resurrect my local Petsearch group, things have been kinda slow but I've had a couple of home safes and an article in the paper.

Well on Saturday there is a charity companion dog show (for dogs for the disabled) being held at the park at the top of my road.  I was going to take Esco with me enter some show classes and I also wanted to hand out my Petsearch leaflets so I emailed the organiser last night for permission...

She only wants me to have a stall at the event...arrrrrrggggghhhhh...what an amazing opportunity for me to raise awareness of Petsearch and what I am trying to do BUT ITS THIS SATURDAY AND I HAVE NO CLUE WHERE TO START LOL!!! I only have some posters and leaflets!!!!

I'm going to try to get some T-shirts printed and then make a board with my poster in the centre, then my newspaper article and homesafe stories and fluff it up with other bits of info about the group.

Has anyone else got any tips or advice??

Even though its such short notice its such a good opportunity I really don't think I can miss it!!!