My mother has always been the kind of person who organises things

When my brother and I went to playgroup, she started helping out

By the time I had moved to school, she was running it

She recently reminded me of a story: the hall where the playgroup was held needed decorating

So she rallied “the dads” to spend the weekend painting

She didn’t pick up a brush herself but kept them fuelled with teas and coffees, a project manager before the title even existed

When my brother and I moved on to “big school,” Mum joined the parents’ association

Under her watch, the money raised broke records

She organised discos for the kids, barn dances for the parents, and funded everything from a new minibus to refurbished classrooms

One of her most memorable projects was a “casino night,” complete with roulette, blackjack, and poker tables

It was such a hit that another charity asked if she could run one for them too

But there was a catch: we needed the equipment

So we spent an entire weekend printing “fun money” for the charity casino

This was before computers and desktop publishing, Mum had a small printing press, and we churned out stack after stack of fake cash

By Sunday night, we had £1 million (about $1.3 million) in play money under the stairs

For a while, we were probably the richest family in town, at least on paper

Conclusion:
Looking back, that “million pounds” under the stairs was never just about a game

It was about resourcefulness, community spirit, and the way Mum could turn an idea into something that brought people together and made a real difference