Don't quite know where to put this but here goes.

[elderly]

My local Bowls Club is looking for ideas to raise funds for a new lawn mower has anyone any suggestions. We have done quizes, coffee mornings marathons etc. I have suggested a car treasure hunt but what with the cost of petrol these days not sure. Any suggestions please?

[Big Al1st]

I dont know what type of area you live in but walking treasure hunts are very popular now with clues pointing towards various places/houses within you town / village.
Get plenty of exercise as well.
When you say you have done quizzes, are they ones held in the evening with a quiz master, or written ones. These are very popular nowadays and a lot of ABers like to enter.
Rgds Al

[elderly]

I live in a small country village in Kent. Had thought of a walking hunt but didn't get very far with clues. Quizes are our best money spinner. We have one every year, teams of six and write answers down. Please keep thinking for me and thank you VERY MUCH for help.

[Metz]

Could you pack peoples shopping in the local supermarket? We usually get football teams doing it round here.
Wash peoples cars?

[lady_p_gold]

Well those auctions are quite good where everyone donates either time or a service or a night out i.e. Mrs Jones will cook a meal for you, Mr Smith will give two hours doing the garden, so and so restaurant is donating a meal for two (this obviously requires co-operation of the village) and then everyone has to bid on the night. Also there is the duck race where you sell plastic ducks for �1 and they all have a number and then they are all put in the river and the first one past the winning line gets �10 prize or whatever.

[saintjohnny]

A few years ago, and I swear this is true, the bowls club in my little Nottinghamshire town hired a local farmer's flock of sheep to "mow" the green. It worked a treat, and cost about �100 for the day. You won't get the stripes, but you will get a perfect surface. Seriously, I'm not making this up!

[elderly]

Thank you for all your suggestions. Nearest supermarket is 15 miles away and the local school/church have done 'auction of promises' so I'm really looking for something different. PLEASE keep your thinking caps on for me! By the way, average age of our club is OAP's!!! and we have a hose pipe ban here with water restrictions. Not much help am I!!!

[YvonneM]

Millionaires Nights where you play casino like games (blackjack roulette dice etc) with imitation money Entry price includes so much money and then if you run out you can buy extra say �1,000 imitation money for 50p. At the end of the evening instead of a raffle you have an auction and bid for items anytihing from cds to mars bars and pay for these with the imitation money.

Race Night local bookmaker organised a race night that we went to, not sure how much they charge. They bring videos of american races and you bet on the race tote style odds are set and then a video selected at random Pie and pea supper etc

[Hellion]

As it's summer a barbecue/picnic with a live music is always popular, buy just sausages and bread and get people to bring salad stuff and charge a ticket price. Doesn't have to be a band just a duo to accompany the day. very civilised. Or recently I heard a lot of people start an ebay account for the group and they auction stuff, that can be quite good fun

[FoxLee]

Keeping it simple - what about a bring and buy combined with small fete. People could bring unwanted gifts, you could have a cake stall, guess the weight of a cake. If children were attending you could have guess the number of sweets/marbles in a big jar. And have a raffle - perhaps local shopkeepers could donate prizes, if you have a local cinema, maybe they would donate a couple of tickets