Author: Lorraine

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming 7 staff from the fundraising team at Siemens Energy, Manchester. As one of our Charity Partners for 2025, it was fantastic to show them around our unit, introduce them to our work and share the impact their support will have.

Giving potential fundraisers a tour of our unit is always a proud moment, it allows us to showcase just how much we have achieved over a short space of time. The team were particularly moved by our Quiet Room, a dedicated space for counselling bereaved parents, which is something we hold incredibly close to our hearts.

Making the most of their visit, the team assembled a Milly Bag, bringing with them a generous selection of toiletries and some beautifully hand-knitted elephants, which went straight into the bags they prepared. Their kindness and enthusiasm were truly appreciated.

We are always delighted to be chosen as a Charity Partner and even more so when staff take the time to visit us, gaining a deeper understanding of our work and seeing firsthand what their fundraising efforts will support.

We look forward to working closely with Siemens Energy throughout 2025!

We are thrilled to say that our Danceathon was a huge success. An amazing amount of £1,500, was raised which will fund just over 10 Milly Bags!

A huge thank you to Jess B Dance Fitness and her fantastic team for hosting such a brilliant event this weekend. The room was buzzing with energy, bursting with colour, and filled with over 30 amazing people dancing their hearts out for three whole hours!

With routines from Panache Dance Fitness, Zumba Fitness, and Zumba Toning, everyone threw themselves into the moves, making for a brilliant atmosphere with so many wonderful people who truly embraced the day.

A special mention to everyone who dressed up, the outfits were absolutely fabulous and really added to the fun! From neon leg warmers to retro tracksuits, they all looked the part. And of course, a huge shout out to the Spice Girls who brought an extra level of energy to the day!

A massive thank you to everyone who supported the event, whether by donating raffle prizes, selling tickets, or simply turning up and giving it your all. Your support means the world!

And finally, a special shoutout to Jess and her incredible team—you went above and beyond to make sure the event was a huge success, and we honestly can’t thank you enough.

Same time next year?!

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming 20 young ladies from the 10th Great Harwood Brownies to our unit, where they kindly volunteered their time to help us pack our Milly Bags.

Earlier this month, we visited the Brownies to share more about our charity and discuss ways they could support our work. Following this, the girls went shopping and thoughtfully selected a wonderful range of toiletries to include in the bags.

During the packing session, the Brownies demonstrated fantastic teamwork, dedication, and attention to detail, ensuring that every bag met our high standards. Their hard work and enthusiasm were truly inspiring!

A huge well done to all who took part—you all fully deserve your charity badge.

It was an honor to participate in the North West Children & Teenage/Young Adults Cancer Conference last week in Liverpool. We truly valued the opportunity to be part of such an important event and were delighted to reconnect with many familiar faces, including those who played a vital role in Milly’s care during her treatment in Manchester.

We also had the pleasure of meeting representatives from other charitable organisations exhibiting at the event. Engaging in meaningful discussions, sharing ideas, and exchanging insights on common challenges was incredibly valuable, and we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another.

We’re thrilled to share that our Afternoon Tea & Fashion Show on Saturday raised an amazing £1,205.35!

It was a truly delightful afternoon, filled with delicious treats, great company, and a stunning fashion show presented by the talented team at Colours in Manchester, it was wonderful to see so many friendly faces coming together to support our cause.

Thanks to your incredible generosity, we can now fund a further 9 Milly Bags which is a fantastic achievement and will allow us to continue making a difference every single day.

A huge thank you to our fabulous volunteers Karen, Diana, and Julie, who gave such a warm welcome to our guests and ensured everything ran smoothly. And of course, an extra special shoutout to everyone who donated raffle prizes—your kindness means the world to us.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support—we couldn’t do it without you!

It was lovely to welcome staff from Progeny HR Consultancy over the half term, who came along to bag pack for us. These lovely ladies brought along their children and together they made up a wonderful amount of Milly Bags.

We love having bag packing afternoons and getting to know our volunteers, they really are the backbone of our charity, and without them we really could not do what we do.

Our bag packing sessions are becoming very popular and we have had to introduce a waiting list (due to space in our unit and only being able to store so many bags at a time).

Any companies/individuals that are interested in coming along to pack bags we would love to hear from you, not only is it a pleasant afternoon but also meets the requirements of CSR.

Yesterday, our team took our 27th delivery of Milly Bags over to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

We have been supporting children on Ward 3B since October 2018, and in that time, we’ve been able to help almost 450 families through one of the toughest times in their lives. We feel very privileged to be able to give this support and to make a difference every single day.

Thank you to Graeme and Mandy for doing an excellent job with the delivery, and thank you to everyone who supports us, we say it so often because its true, we really could not do this without the amazing support we receive.

Today, Graeme and Mandy made our 19th delivery to Leeds Children’s Hospital, bringing the total number of Milly Bags delivered to an incredible 370, at a cost of £51,800.

We always receive a warm welcome from the wonderful team at Leeds, especially Elaine, who takes great care of our Milly Bags. Elaine regularly shares feedback with us, which we love reading, and we always take any suggestions into consideration.

One particular piece of feedback truly touched our hearts. Orla’s mum shared:

“The bag was so nice. When Elaine gave it to us, my daughter had a big smile on her face—something she hasn’t done in ages. Thank you so much!”

While delivering the bags, we had a lovely surprise when we bumped into Holly, who received a Milly Bag when she was first diagnosed. Holly was still using the neck pillow, and her mum told Graeme that their bag gets used all the time.

We send all our love to Holly and wish her well with her ongoing treatment. (A huge thank you to her mum for allowing us to share Holly’s photo.)

As always, we are incredibly grateful to everyone who supports us. Children like Holly are the reason we do what we do, and we feel so humbled to be making a difference every single day.

We are incredibly proud of our partnership with the Team Luke Foundation , whose unwavering support has been instrumental in enabling us to provide Milly Bags to the oncology wards at The Great North Children’s Hospital.

Our Milly Bags are designed to support families facing an unplanned hospital admission after their child has been newly diagnosed with a cancer related illness.

The bags not only bring comfort and practical support, but they let the families know that someone cares about them and understands their fears and concerns after hearing the words no parent ever wants to hear.

We feel humbled and privileged to be able to play a small part in making those terrifying few weeks of their journey that little bit easier.

Last week, Team Luke made a further delivery to Ward 4, bringing the total number of bags donated to 50 (since we began supporting the ward last year).

This collaboration is a testament to the power of community and shared purpose. Together, we continue to make a difference to all newly diagnosed children, one Milly Bag at a time.