Whether you’re giving something up or trying something new, you can make your efforts extra important by asking for sponsorship from your friends and family.

It’s very quick and easy to do - you can easily set up a fundraising page on JustGiving for your activities, then let your friends, family, and followers know by any means you can; text, email, social media, word of mouth, carrier pigeon, Morse code, etc.

Stuck for ideas on what to do? Check out some of our suggestions below:

Dry January

We get it, it may not be the most attractive idea right now, but your perception might change when you wake up on 1st January having gone to bed at 7am with no memory of midnight. If at that point, one of the main thoughts piercing through your hangover is “I’m never drinking again”, try out Dry January, and get everyone to sponsor you. It’ll put a sweet taste back in your mouth!

Start a fitness regime (and stick to it this year!)

It’s one of the most popular new year’s resolutions, but how many of you have been guilty of saying you’d start a new fitness regime, buy all the gear, only for June to roll around and it still in its packaging slowly dehydrating in an neglected corner of your wardrobe? If you do need that extra push, head over to our fundraising page, register for an event, and use this as a way to motivate yourself into using those high-spec Adidas trainers your feet look so fancy in.

Stop swearing

If you’re known to drop the occasional expletive every now and then,challenge yourself to stop for a month! You can either get people to sponsor you, or create a swear jar for yourself to put a pound in for every time you slip up, then donate the proceeds. Abso-bloody-lutely!

Give up meat or animal products

Vegetarianism and veganism have really hit new heights recently, and you can still jump on that bandwagon! If you eat meat, you could try curbing it to see how you feel. If you’re already vegetarian, see what life is like over the parapet and consider cutting out dairy from your diet Get people to sponsor you for trying, or, if you feel really creative, cook a few dishes for your friends, family, and colleagues and donate the proceeds. Who says you don’t win friends with salad??

Take an eco pledge

Following on from this, if you’re already rid of animal products, or really can’t face the prospect of a month without cheese, try taking an eco pledge for a month. Get people to sponsor you for giving up something to be more environmentally friendly, for example, try living without plastic - it's much harder than you'd think!

Sell your unwanted gifts

Don’t be shy about it, everyone ends up with at least something they don’t like at Christmas. Instead of just throwing it out, you could sell it on eBay. on You can donate some of the proceeds to Trees for Cities, meaning you get some recompense, cities get more trees and the person who buys your gift gets endless joy!

Shave your head

Everyone always wants a new look for the new year, so what better way to start January 2019 off with a nice, shiny, bald head? Some trees have to shed their leaves every year, so you could call it a form of solidarity (or, solidari-tree?).

If you want to get involved in some new year fundraising, get in touch by emailing chris@treesforcities.org to get started.

Happy new year!