By Leicester Mercury | Posted: March 06, 2014
A hospice is turning drinking craze NekNomination into an act of kindness – creating its own version, NowDonate.
LOROS fundraiser Christian Weikert-Picker said: "We wanted to turn a negative thing into a positive thing.
"We always try and look for the positives and never the negatives – this is very much in our ethos.
"We'd seen NekNomination in the news, it's a hot topic – we wanted to utilise the idea and use it to our advantage."
Worldwide drinking fad NekNomination, which started in Australia, involves people filming themselves drinking alcohol, posting the films online and 'nominating' others to do the same.
Politicians and health experts in Leicester have criticised the game, branding it 'dangerous and irresponsible'.
LOROS is hoping its NowDonate videos will raise awareness of the charity and show people there are lots of different ways of showing support.
"We want people to know they can help in more ways than one, they don't just have to give money," said Christian.
"We generate money from all different areas, from making a cake for our canteen for day patients, or donating their old electrical goods.
"We will make the best out of anything people want to give."
In one of the videos posted on the charity's Facebook page, LOROS fundraiser Laura Betts donates a collection of her old handbags before nominating two other people to do something "for their local charity".
"Everyone in our team is doing it – they each nominate one other worker and somebody external," she said.
"We want it to be part of the community – hopefully, it is going to grow and grow."
The idea came after one of the fundraisers saw a light-hearted video produced by Gareth Carnall, owner of Fingerprints Delicafe, in Queens Road, Leicester, which neighbours a LOROS shop.
After Gareth, 32, of Earl Shilton, was NekNominated by one of his friends, he decided to 'flip the nomination on its head' and do something different.
"I thought, rather than do something silly and dangerous, I would do something nice," he said.
"I didn't think anyone would see it, to be honest, but I guess that's the power of the internet.
"I think it's brilliant that LOROS is doing this – why not use it to their advantage?" he said.
