Weldmar’s Jail & Bail 2026
One day fundraising challenge
Will our brave group of criminals be found guilty? Will they raise enough bail to get out of jail? Or will they be stuck in the cells to think about what they’ve done…
The cells are now full for 2026!
Eight members of our local community will be paying for their crimes and braving the cells to raise £999 each in bail money in this exciting one day fundraiser for Weldmar and Shire Hall.
They’ll begin the day being put ‘on trial’ and charged by our hilarious judge at the court room at Shire Hall, Dorchester, before being sent down to the cells! They’ll be able to make calls, send emails, and get on social media, spreading the word with family, friends, work colleagues and contacts to help raise the bail.
You’ll be able to follow their progress and antics on Facebook on Friday 13th March 2026.
Our sincere thanks to our friends at Shire Hall in Dorchester for being our hosts for a third Jail & Bail event. The previous two events have raised in excess of £15,000!
Meet the 2026 accused …
Links to online fundraising pages will be available below from Monday 9th March
Ali “Cold-Well” Caldwell
From Weldmar Hospicecare’s Specialist Hospice at Home Service
The crime: Sneezing loudly
The plea: Guilty
The evidence: Known to local meteorologists as “The Human Hurricane,” Ali’s sneezing has been registered on the Richter scale three times this year alone. Neighbours have reported car alarms being triggered two streets away, and local structural engineers have deemed the office a “high-risk zone” whenever she has a tickle in her nose.
Donate to Ali's JustGiving Page
Pippa Aaron AKA “The Window Cracker”
From Metro Rod
The crime: Singing in the office
The plea: Guilty
The evidence: The only contestant to receive a lifetime ban from “X-Factor”, Philippa’s singing in the office is seldom in tune, and can be very distracting to the other staff. People used to say it sounded like a cat drowning, until drowning cats started complaining about the comparison.
Donate to Pippa's JustGiving Page
Terry Gillingham AKA “Cookie Monster”
The Crime: Regularly eating the office biscuit supply
The plea: Not Guilty
Terry finds work biscuit stashes with the accuracy of a sniffer dog, then inhales them with his morning cuppa regularly rendering the Service Appliances office biscuit-less. He was once spotted dunking and eating digestives whole. WHOLE! There’s no getting out of this one…
Donate to Terry's JustGiving Page
Adrian Wood AKA “Taz”
From Advantage Digital Print Ltd.
The Crime: Becoming an office whirlwind and leaving a trail of chaos
The plea: Guilty
Adrian doesn’t just enter a room; he descends upon it like an absolute whirlwind. While he clears the order queue with super human speed, he leaves behind a chaotic trail of debris. Once the dust settles and the work is done, this office whirlwind vanishes back into his lair, leaving the “gift” of clutter for other people to navigate.
Donate to Adrian's JustGiving Page
Jay Denny AKA “Taskmaster”
From Tesco, Dorchester
The Crime: Being a Taskmaster and expecting perfection, working the store team to the bone!
The plea: Guilty
“ORDER THE BOXES IN THE STOCKROOM BY THE COLOUR OF SUNSET!” or “LEAVE EXACTLY 2mm BETWEEN EVERY CAN OF BEANS” These are the kind of orders you might overhear if you’re wandering around Dorchester Tesco when Jay is in charge. The final straw that led to his team making the report, was when he asked them to nip to the frozen foods aisle and polish all of the petits pois individually. Unbelievable!
Donate to Jay's JustGiving Page
Helen Gantley AKA “Wordy Wendy”
From Tache
The Crime: Charged with being an office chatterbox!
The plea: Guilty
Apparently getting her talent for talking from her late mum, a fellow chatterbox who was cared for by Weldmar, Helen distracts colleagues, accidentally gatecrashes important Teams meetings, and gets shushed multiple times a day. In fact, there’s rarely a moment when she isn’t having a good old chat to others (or herself!) in the Tache office, and her colleagues think she should do time for her noisy crime!
Donate to Helen's JustGiving Page
Barry Stratford AKA “Shabby Stratford”
From Coco Property Group
The Crime: Charged with dress code violations
The plea: Guilty
Raising money for Shire Hall, Barry stands accused for his refusal to acknowledge the existence of a shirt tuck. Witnesses claim that he frequently wanders into the office with his shirt untucked and his belly on show. This dedication to sartorial lawlessness has turned the entire office into a high-risk zone for accidental abdominal sightings. Will the judge be lenient? Or will he be told to tuck his shirt in and sent to the cells? Find out on Friday 13th March!
Donate to Barry's JustGiving PageThe difference your 'bail' can make...
£82
pays for a counselling session for a patient or bereaved relative
£792
pays for a bed at our Inpatient Unit for 24 hours
£1,612
pays for a patient to receive care from their local Weldmar Specialist Hospice at Home hub
What happens on the day of Jail & Bail?
This is a really fun day, and we’d love you to be a part of it.
09:30 – 10:30: Arrive at Shire Hall, Dorchester
Come along and meet your fellow ‘inmates’ for the day! Enjoy tea, coffee, and snacks. We’ll also provide a reminder of the day’s proceedings and answer any last minute questions you might have.
10:30 – 12:00: Sentencing in the courtroom
Your colleagues, family and friends are welcome to watch from the public gallery as you are sentenced for your crime! Our fabulous judge makes this a very entertaining experience for all – this is a perfect opportunity for some photo and PR opportunities.
From 12pm: Time in the cells
Once sentenced, you’ll be sent to the cells! Again, there are plenty of photo and video opportunities, and this is where you get busy following up all the fundraising leads you’ve set up beforehand, and sharing your fundraising page on social media to make sure you raise your bail!
There will be a break for lunch, which is kindly provided by Shire Hall.
From 4pm: Celebrations and prize giving
No doubt you will have reached your fundraising target, so we’ll reveal the grand total raised by the event. Each person taking part will get a certificate and goody bag as a thank you for taking part.
How do I raise the bail money?
Your online fundraising page will be provided for you, and published during the week of the big day. We’ll share the link with you as soon as it is live.
Make calls, send emails and promote on social media – whichever way you choose to spread the word to your friends, family, colleagues and business contacts to help you raise your bail money! Remember – if you have pre-planned they should be expecting your call on the day for details on where they need to donate!
Remember to bring:
- Mobile phone
- List of contacts
- iPad/laptop (wifi is available)
- You are welcome to bring one assistant with you to help you reach your bail!
What do we provide you with for Jail & Bail
Your online fundraising page will be provided for you, and published during the week of the big day.
- A convict costume (this will be provided on the day)
- Materials to promote your participation in Jail and Bail (provided in advance)
- Fundraising kit bag containing useful items such as name plate, note pad and pens
- Lunch
- Refreshments
After your release you will receive a goody bag and a framed certificate to say thank you for taking part and making a difference.
What’s the timeline for Jail & Bail?
Until Friday 20th February
Register to take part! Once you have signed up, you can start planning your fundraising – spread the word as much as you can and drum up as much support as possible! Our fundraisers are on hand to help you with your planning and to offer fundraising advice and tips.
Friday 27th February
You will receive a poster, email footer and social media graphic for you to use to encourage support.
Monday 9th March
Your online fundraising page (set up by the team at Weldmar), will go live!
Friday 13th March
Jail and Bail Day! Let the fun and fundraising begin!
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