Author: Lorraine

Last week, 20 Milly Bags made their way to Kamran’s Ward, in Oxford. Our deliveries to Oxford Children’s Hospital are sent on a pallet which ensures they reach their destination as efficiently as possible.

With this latest delivery, Kamran’s Ward has now received a total of 55 Milly Bags, and we have had some very heartwarming feedback from families who have already been supported by our Milly Bags.

We are always deeply humbled to be able to offer this support to families facing one of the most frightening times of their lives. None of this would be possible without the kindness and generosity of our incredible supporters—thank you to everyone for helping us make a difference when it matters most.

Today I received the most beautiful meaningful gift of a precious ‘Milly’ doll. This isn’t just any doll, it was lovingly created by a bereaved grandmother in memory of her granddaughter, Amani, who very sadly passed away at just 23 years old due to a brain tumor.

Amani’s incredible family have turned their grief into action, raising vital funds for Brain Tumour Research. Her mum has also carried out some remarkable work in Uganda in her daughter’s memory which is testament to the love that endures beyond loss. You can follow their journey and incredible efforts on Instagram @fight4amani

But what makes this gift more extraordinary is the person who gave it to me. A beautiful soul, Fozia, who is also a bereaved Ward 84 mum and whom I’ve never met in person but have shared many heartfelt conversations with.

Fozia had this Milly doll made just for me. And I can honestly say, it is one of the most thoughtful, touching gifts I have ever received.

Fozia knows the depths of grief in a way no mum ever should. She lost her brave little boy, Saqib, at just four years old. Saqib passed away just 13 days after his mum gave birth to her third child. Such heartbreak is just unimaginable, and yet, despite the pain she has endured, Fazia continues to radiate kindness, compassion, and an unwavering strength that is nothing short of inspiring.

Some people have a beauty that runs deeper than words can express—a beauty that shines from the inside out. Fozia is one of those rare, extraordinary people.

A massive shoutout to Karen at Asda Accrington for her incredible generosity! The donation of fantastic raffle prizes for our upcoming Fashion Show & Afternoon Tea, along with water and snack bars for our Danceathon next month, means the world to us.

This support helps make these events even more special, and we truly appreciate it! Thank you for being amazing.

After the Christmas period, it was lovely to come together for our first monthly SOULS group of the year. We are a friendly space for bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings to connect, share, and support one another.

This month we got creative with mosaic tiles, making beautiful coasters, and hanging hearts. It was lovely to see everyone and hear about their Christmas. There was lots of chatting and laughter as everyone was really pleased to see each other again. People can often be mislead about our groups, mistakenly thinking that they are very sad, but that is not the case at all. We provide a safe welcoming space, where everyone is welcome and where there are never any expectations.

Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a warm and uplifting session. We’re looking forward to seeing you next month!

We are absolutely delighted to announce the return of our Spring Fair which promises to be even bigger and better than last year.

Bookings are now open for stalls, each stall is priced at £20, which must be settled at the time of booking to secure your space.

Last year, we enjoyed an amazing day with over 1,000 visitors gracing our event!

For further details, including a booking form, please get in touch via email at hello@millyssmiles.org.

One of our initial jobs last week was to load a pallet with 15 of our Milly Bags and arrange for their collection. We are truly fortunate to have these pallets generously donated by a nearby unit—our heartfelt thanks to Great Harwood Pallets.

The Milly Bags were swiftly gathered, loaded onto the van, and off on their journey to Ward E39 at Nottingham Children’s Hospital. Transporting bags in this manner to distant hospitals proves far more economical, allowing us to focus on other vital tasks while ensuring the safe delivery of our Milly Bags.

However, maintaining our relationship with each ward is very important to us, therefore we ensure that a few times each year, we personally make the deliveries. which is something we always enjoy.

Nottingham have now welcomed 105 Milly Bags, valued at £14,700. As always, we extend our gratitude to all who contribute and volunteer for us, your kindness really does warm our hearts.

Last week we made our first delivery of the year and also welcomed new volunteer Nik.

Nik has supported Milly’s Smiles since we began, by purchasing the gorgeous hand gels that we include in our toiletry packs. Nik collects these from America where she is a regular visitor due to the job she does.

Today she joined us in a different capacity by accompanying Graeme on a trip to The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, to drop off a supply of 20 Milly Bags.

We also took along boxes of extra toiletries for parents and some lovely colouring and activity books for the younger children, which were donated by staff from HMP Garth.

We have delivered a total of 960 Milly Bags to Manchester, over the last 8 years, and we are so proud to be making a difference every single day.

Huge thank you to Graeme, Nik and everyone who continues to support us, we could not do what we do without everyone’s incredible support.

In December, the amazing crew at HMP Garth flipped the trend with a reverse Advent Calendar! Instead of receiving little gifts each day, they donated toiletry items for Milly’s Smiles.

Deborah very kindly organised the whole collection and then made the journey over to our unit to safely deliver all the items, which were unpacked and organised for our fabulous Milly Bags.

A huge thank you to everyone involved for their heartwarming kindness and generosity, this really does make a huge difference to us.

A heartfelt thank you to the dedicated staff at SpecSavers in Blackburn for their remarkable collection of toiletries during the festive season. We were truly amazed by the generosity displayed, we continually need essential items such as shower gel, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and baby wipes.

Each of these contributions plays a vital role in our Milly Bags, and your donations are greatly appreciated.

We extend our gratitude to everyone who has taken the time to donate; your kindness warms our hearts immensely.