West Caister mum leads Hayley gathering in aid of Macmillan

Hayley's taking selfies at Hayley McConnell's doing Fifty Fabulous Things to mark turning 50, whilst raising money for Macmillan. Photo : Steve Adams (Image: Copyright Archant Norfolk)

But on closer inspection visitors to the Forum in Norwich saw that the group of women gathered in aid of cancer charity Macmillan all had something in common – their name.

The collection of Hayleys was organised by Norfolk mum Hayley McConnell as part of a string of charity challenges she is holding to mark her 50th birthday.

On Sunday she was joined by 11 of her namesakes from across the county who all donned green T-shirts proudly displaying their names.

Together they smiled for selfies and chatted to passers- by who dropped donations into their buckets, helping to raise more than £200.

Ms McConnell, from West Caister, turns 50 in December and is hoping to raise £5,000 for Macmillan through her year of fundraising.

She said: 'It was really nice meeting the other Hayleys and it was really good fun.

'For one of the Hayleys it was a cause close to her heart because her mum is suffering from cancer, so it kept in mind why I'm doing this.'

All the Hayleys hailed from Norfolk and ranged in age from 21 to 49.

Ms McConnell is now busy organising her next fundraiser, which will see families take part in a treasure hunt by car and on foot in and around Norwich.

Participants will collect clues on their journey with instructions to complete tasks, such as taking a selfie with one of the GoGo Dragons. The treasure hunt is being held on August 23.

This will be followed in September with a games night at Sprowston Sports and Social Club, featuring replicas of Play Your Cards Right, Deal or No Deal, The Generation Game and The Chase.

For more details about any of the fundraisers visit www.facebook.com/FaftyFabulousthings.

Are you raising money in an unusual way? Email lauren.rogers@archant.co.uk.