GREAT HARWOOD CANCER CHARITY RECEIVES £5,000 DONATION
A charity supporting children with cancer has received a £5,000 donation to help expand its work.
Milly’s Smiles, based in Great Harwood, was surprised with the donation from Elite Competitions ahead of International Childhood Cancer Day.
The funds will allow the charity to reach an eighth children’s cancer hospital, extending its support for families facing long stays on paediatric oncology wards.
Francesca Ward, head of contributions at Elite Competitions, said: "We wanted to support a charity for Childhood Cancer Awareness Day and one that genuinely makes a difference.
"As soon as we heard about Milly’s Smiles, we knew they were the right fit.
"Hopefully, this money will go towards getting Milly’s Smiles into another hospital.
"The care, thought, and compassion behind everything they do is incredible, and we’re genuinely in awe of the support they provide to families during such a difficult time."
Founded by Lorraine Wilson in memory of her daughter Milly, who died from leukaemia in 2015, the charity provides 'Milly Bags' to families with a child diagnosed with cancer.
Each bag contains practical and comforting items such as blankets, toiletries, notebooks, and other essentials to help families cope during unexpected hospital admissions.
Mrs Wilson, founder and chief executive of Milly’s Smiles, said: "Our plans have always been to get Milly’s Smiles bags into as many children’s cancer wards as possible.
"Unfortunately, it’s difficult to commit to new hospitals before we have enough funding in place to support them over the long term.
"This donation means we can continue supporting the hospitals we already work with and potentially begin exploring partnerships with additional wards in the future.
"It’s so important that we’re able to provide consistent, reliable support for families at a time when their entire world has collapsed."
The charity currently supports families at seven hospitals across the UK.
These include Manchester Children’s Hospital, Alder Hey, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Oxford, and Cambridge.
The donation forms part of Elite Contributions - Elite Competitions’ ongoing programme that gives back to local communities.
Alex Beckett, managing director at Elite Competitions, said: "Supporting Milly’s Smiles was an easy decision for us.
"This is a charity that stands beside them through its amazing work."