What’s £20 worth these days?

If you bought yourself a small treat this weekend, have a think – what did you get for your money? How far can you stretch £20? You probably didn’t get much more than a couple of pizzas and a cheap DVD. Or maybe a ticket to a gig or show. Both nice, yet run-of-the-mill things.

£20 can also be turned into something much more meaningful. £20 can fund one hour of dementia research. Another 60 minutes that can be added to the battle against dementia. It might not sound like a lot, but the more £20s we can combine, the more time we have to arm a research lab or clinic in the battle to defeat dementia.

Will you help us?

You could forgo your weekly treat (idea 14), or you could keep that little luxury and raise the £20 (or more) another way. Use our handy list of 20 ways to make £20 and fund your very own hour of dementia research.

1. Ebay something you no longer want and give the proceeds to Alzheimer’s Research UK. Too high-tech? Then try a car boot sale instead.
2. Eat a tube of Smarties and get it refilled with £1 coins by any means you can. A whole tube holds £27!
3. Walk or cycle to work and donate the money you would have spent on the bus ticket, train fare or petrol.
4. Start a swear or sigh box and get colleagues to add 50p when they break the rules!
5. Auction some promises – pledge to clean a colleague’s car or make their coffee for the rest of the year and see how high they bid!
6. (For the men)…Get sponsored to be lazy and grow a beard for the rest of the year.
7. … or do the opposite and go for a sponsored head shave!
8. Set up an office sweepstake and have the winner keep half of the funds raised. With the World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and Wimbledon there’s plenty of opportunity to build up a little friendly competition! For a template grid, email corporate@alzheimersresearchuk.org.
9. If you work on a high floor, try getting sponsored not to use the lift for a week.
10. Recycle some of your old or unwanted gold jewellery and donate the proceeds to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
11. Ask colleagues to bring in unwanted books and hold an office book sale.
12. Keen baker? Make some of your favourite treats and sell them to your colleagues. Not only will this raise some funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK, but you will prove to be very popular!
13. Grab a sponge and organise a car wash on a (hopefully) sunny afternoon.
14. Swap your Friday night take-away for a Friday night fast and donate the money you save.
15. Speak a different language or play a musical instrument? If you have a sought-after skill then try teaching it to your colleagues for a small fee.
16. Hold a ‘guess the sweets in the jar’ competition. You could even get a bit more creative: guess the coffee beans in the bucket or guess the chocolate bars in the filing cabinets..!
17. Get sponsored to dye your hair Alzheimer’s Research UK’s purple!
18. Get crafty and make anything from cards and coasters to knitted jumpers or jewellery. Then sell it online, to friends, or in the office.
19. Recycle your old mobile.
20. Hold an office Plank Challenge.