SHE admits she’s a bit of a crazy lady.
And Natalie Robinson’s new idea to help the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice is certainly a wacky one.
She is going to have a sponsored name change.
She’ll be holding on to her existing Christian names of Natalie and Margaret – but could then follow that with the likes of Polkadot, Freak or even Sarah Princess Twinkletoes.
The final name won’t be Natalie’s choice but one voted for by her supporters, who are donating cash to the Brackenhall-based hospice along with their suggestions.
Natalie, of Crosland Moor, decided to take up the unique fundraising idea as her ‘One Good Thing,’ after hearing about the newly-launched campaign at the start of the year.
For a £2 donation, people can recommend a name which, if chosen, will legally become Natalie’s middle name.
She had an initial aim of raising £200, but Natalie has already smashed her target having raised over £300 and is now hoping to keep adding to this tally until the final submission date on Sunday, February 7.
After that, she plans to draw up a shortlist of 10 and will put that out for a public vote over the following seven days.
Natalie, who works as office manager at the Colne Valley Black Belt Academy, Linthwaite, said: “I believe the hospice is a really special place in Huddersfield and we all ought to support it.
“I am a crazy person and I knew if I did something more ordinary, like a run or a sponsored walk, few people would help.
“I have been swamped with suggestions, many of them from the children here at the Academy.
“Some of them are serious but as you would expect, the majority are a bit zany.
“I must have had almost 100 names suggested so far and some of the dafter examples include Freak, which came from my mum, Polkadot, Forget Me Not and Sarah Princess Twinkletoes.
“A few people have linked in with the Robinson theme, such as Swiss Family, and others have suggested their own children’s names.
“I still haven’t had any suggestions from my husband, Mark, or my 11-year-old son, Harland, and I don’t know what ideas they could have.”
If you would like to sponsor Natalie, track her progress or donate £2 and recommend a name, visit her Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/Natalie-Robinson4 and show your support.
From February 7, she and others will select a shortlist of 10 for the final choice, and then Natalie will register the name by Deed Poll.
“I can do it online and although it is legally binding, it means I don’t have to change my passport or driving licence just yet.”
The Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice provides care and support to children with life limiting conditions across Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.
Gaynor Bearder, senior community fundraiser at the charity added: “Natalie really has gone above and beyond the norm of fundraising with her wacky idea, and we are all so pleased to see how well she is doing with it.”
