A CHALLENGE was thrown down by the Mayor of Redbridge as he launched his annual charity appeal.

Mayor Thomas Chan is challenging groups and individuals to come up with the most innovative ways of raising money for the appeal which this year is in aid of the Alzheimers Society and ReBEP, which works to improve the employment skills of young people.

Last year The Mall in Ilford hosted a Wii Boxing Challenge for all its retailers which raised more than £1500 for the appeal.

The Mall was closed for the evening so all retailers could take part and the GAME shop arranged for a number of consoles to be donated by Sony for the event.

Helping the Mayor launch this year’s appeal, Andrea Marie from the Mall said: “We want to be a bit more creative in our fundraising and also extend an invite to all the shops in Ilford to participate in their Challenge.”

Awards will be presented for the most innovative fundraisers in eight categories: schools, sports clubs, retailers, local entrepreneur, emergency services, restaurants, council departments, and individuals, as well as an overall prize.

Anyone interested in helping this year’s appeal should contact Sharon Bradley at the Mayor’s Office on 8708 2110 or via Sharon.Bradley@redbridge.gov.uk.