BIBS relies solely on donations – from local people, companies and organisations to fund all of our charitable work. Whether it’s funding our Family Support Worker on the ward and in the community for families of discharged babies, investing in family-friendly facilities, or purchasing state-of-the-art and life-saving equipment such as incubators, ventilators, cardiac or brain monitors.
We know our charity remains close to the hearts of many local people and we are so grateful for the thousands of pounds raised to help us in our mission to save tiny lives each year.
Get involved – you choose how!
We’d love to support you in whatever way you choose to fundraise for BIBS. For all your ideas you can message us via email (info@bibs.org.uk) or via social media on Facebook or Instagram.
We have a limited number of external fundraising events that we participate in – by far the biggest each year is Reading very own Half Marathon and Green Park Challenge – we have a limited number of charity places to offer. In 2024 & 2025 our Reading Half Marathon teams helped us raise nearly £50,000 to buy two brand new hi-spec incubators for Buscot Ward. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t done much running before, as long as you are passionate about raising vital funds to support our charity and are up for a challenge! Get in touch to register your interest.
Occasionally we are lucky enough to have a charity place in Marathon events like London or Brighton too. Or you can help save our charity money and fund your own place at whatever event you would like to take part in – maybe a tough mudder or colour run?! Simply use a platform like Just Giving or Enthuse to set up your own fundraising page, and drop us a message to tell us more about your plans and find out how we can support you with fundraising ideas, running vests or loaning you helpful awareness raising kit like banners.
Running not your thing?! Don’t worry!
We understand that running events are not everyone’s idea of the most FUN way to fundraise (though we are always amazed by how many people do take on epic challenges!) We’ve been blessed to have supporters who have skydived, swum in relay races, climbed mountains, dyed their hair purple or cut it off entirely – all to raise money for our cause. Or something more social might be up your street – hosting a bake sale or coffee morning, charity quiz night, virtual race night or even wine tasting evening. There is no limit to what ideas you can use as a way to generate funds that will quite literally save lives, and support the mental health and well-being of families going through the toughest of experiences seeing their tiny babies fighting to survive.
Corporate support
Whether its a Charity of the Year, or longer term partnership – employee fundraising initiatives or a pot of corporate funding – we simply love hearing from local businesses about how we can engage with your workforce and customers to help raise awareness of how company giving can transform the lives of families whose babies require neonatal care through prematurity or sickness at birth. In recent years we have benefitted from incredible long-term partnerships with businesses like Blandy & Blandy LLP, RSM, EY, TSB Bank, and Sainsbury’s Calcot. We’ve also been supported with one-off / ad-hoc fundraising opportunities like bucket collections at racecourses, supermarkets and theatres. With around 10% of babies born locally requiring neonatal care it is not surprising that these opportunities normally arise because employees know from first hand or close family experience exactly the difference BIBS funding makes, and they nominate us for opportunities organised by their civic-minded employers. If you know of a corporate opportunity please email us and tell us more – we can often support by filling out applications, coming in to present or pitch to large staff meetings, or set up awareness-raising stalls for staff or customers to engage with.
