Puriton Puzzlers Champion Fund

Fundraising comes in all shapes and sizes and sometimes grows from the humblest of beginnings. The Puriton Puzzlers show how loyal community involvement can really make ‘a few pennies’ add up.

Fund target: As much as possible!

Current total: £7,366

Ruth and Philip Lough, from Puriton in Somerset, began their fundraising at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Ruth explained what’s involved and why they are helping Brain Tumour Support.

How we started

Puriton Puzzlers started a few weeks after lockdown in 2020 where it was evident that people in the local village were sharing jigsaw puzzles to keep themselves occupied. We realised that we had a reasonable collection that could be shared that would raise a few pennies at the same time!

Why we chose Brain Tumour Support

The charity was there when our eldest daughter, Kate (then aged 30), was treated for a brain tumour in 2015. The support really helped her and she has also raised funds as a thank you, with a skydive in 2018 and another challenge planned for this year. You can read her story here – Kate’s big leap

What we do

We began with a garden box (the pots were ousted and abandoned in the back garden!), a sack barrow and an old tea tin. We have surprisingly kept going, five years later, and remain a feature in the village with ‘puzzlers’ coming from around the other local villages and further afield to bring, borrow or buy puzzles for a donation.

We are grateful for the donations of jigsaw puzzles that have enabled us to continue raising money for Brain Tumour Support.

How Brain Tumour Support made a difference last year

4,925

People used our Facebook Forums

700

Specialist counselling sessions for individuals and families

903

People received regular support from a Support Professional

£382,246

Due benefits unlocked with help from our welfare benefits service

Fundraising with Brain Tumour Support. Man and woman in skydiving outfits after a charity skydive event

Kate’s big leap

Saying ‘Thank you’ with a skydive Kate wanted to “stick two fingers up” to everything she had been through, so she signed herself up to do a skydive. She also wanted to raise money for Brain Tumour Support because her…

Read Kate’s big leap