Author: Lorraine

For the last two years we have been lucky enough to be supported by four incredible people, Natalie, her husband Simon, and their friends Tom and Martin.

The team have organised a charity football match for the last three years in memory of a very special young girl, Olivia, who sadly passed away in 2021.

This year’s Olivia’s Charity Match was another fantastic day, bringing together family, friends and the local community in Olivia’s memory. From the football itself to the stalls, entertainment and food, it was clear just how much hard work had gone into making the event such a success.

The final total raised for Milly’s Smiles was an incredible £12,303.85.

To say we were overwhelmed would be an understatement. It is a phenomenal amount of money and one that will make a real difference to the families we support.

Every pound raised will help us continue providing Milly Bags and support to families at a time when their entire world has collapsed.

The team’s generosity didn’t stop there. Alongside the fundraising, they also collected a huge number of toiletry donations for our Milly Bags and delivered them to our unit this week. It was lovely to welcome them back and have the opportunity to thank them properly in person.

A very special mention must go to Olivia’s parents and family. There are no words that can take away the heartbreak of losing a child. Yet year after year, they continue to honour Olivia’s memory by helping other families facing their own difficult journeys.

What they have created in Olivia’s name is something truly special. Olivia’s legacy lives on, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the incredible support this event receives year after year. The kindness, generosity and commitment shown by so many people is a wonderful reflection of just how loved and remembered Olivia continues to be.

From all of us at Milly’s Smiles, thank you. We are incredibly grateful for your support, your friendship and everything you do in Olivia’s memory.

Back in March, I received a phone call from Postcode Lottery to tell me that a street close to Milly’s Smiles had won its Millionaire Street prize.

As part of this prize, local charities also receive funding thanks to Postcode Lottery players. When we found out that Milly’s Smiles had been chosen to receive funding, we were delighted!

What happened next made it even more special.

The winning street was on the very estate where Milly lived, and one of the winning families had previously received a Milly Bag when their child was being treated at Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Sometimes life has a funny way of bringing things full circle. When we discovered the connection between the winning street, Milly’s home, and a family who had received a Milly Bag, it felt like one of those moments that reminds you there are sometimes bigger things at work than we’ll ever fully understand.

A few weeks later, we received £40,000 in funding, made possible thanks to Postcode Lottery players.

We have put part of the funding towards replacing our old delivery van, which had served us well but was becoming increasingly unreliable and costly to maintain.

We are now the proud owners of a new electric van that will help us deliver Milly Bags to hospitals across the country for many years to come.

Every journey this van makes represents a family at the very beginning of their childhood cancer journey, when everything feels uncertain and overwhelming. Being able to get our bags where they are needed, quickly and reliably, is incredibly important to us.

To every Postcode Lottery player, thank you. Your support is helping us continue Milly’s legacy and ensure families receive comfort and practical support when they need it most.

I genuinely don’t know where to start with our event last Saturday!

What an afternoon! The room was just full of energy from the minute it started… dancing, singing, laughing, and people just coming together to have a genuinely brilliant time, all whilst raising money for Milly’s Smiles.

The success of the whole day, and the biggest thank you, is all down to Jess. This whole event was pulled together by her. She brought the presenters together (who were all phenomenal), organised everything behind the scenes, kept the energy going all afternoon and created something really special.

People see the event itself, but they don’t always see the amount of time, stress, organising and running around that goes into making something like this happen.

Jess, you absolutely smashed it, and we are so incredibly grateful for everything

A huge thank you as well to the amazing presenters, who gave their time and energy completely free of charge. Each of them brought something unique and fun, and they were loved by everyone.

We would also like to to mention the effort everyone made with their outfits – the room was filled with cowboy hats, boots, sparkles, denim, tassels… we even had horses join us! Everybody completely threw themselves into it, and it honestly just made the whole afternoon feel even more special and fun.

Finally, thank you to every single person who came along, danced, sang, bought raffle tickets, donated and supported the day. Events like this remind me just how lucky we are to have such amazing people around us – the total amount raised was an incredible £2,461.00!

This is fantastic and will go towards supporting children and their families at a time when their whole world has fallen apart.

Last week we welcomed four amazing volunteers who joined us for the afternoon to help with some bag packing.

A huge thank you to Lee, Rebecca, Tracy and Louis from Redefined Care who got stuck straight in and packed every single bag with such care and thought.

What really stood out was how respectful they were of what we do and why we do it. They took the time to understand that each bag is going to a family at one of the hardest moments of their lives, and that means so much to us.

I always say to our volunteer bag packers that whilst it can be fun to pack the bags, it’s so important to remember what they are for… the next person to open that bag is someone whose whole world has collapsed, with nothing certain anymore.

This brilliant team packed an incredible 80 Milly Bags, all ready for our next round of deliveries.

We are so proud to be making a difference every single day to families whose child has been newly diagnosed with cancer.

There’s something incredible about running about 26.2 miles, and even more so when every single step is taken to help others.

A huge thank you to the fabulous David Savage, who completed the London Marathon yesterday in an amazing 4 hours, 3 minutes and 16 seconds!

David didn’t just run the marathon, he ran it for Milly’s Smile, every step, every mile was to support children and their families going through one of the worst times imaginable.

Already he has raised an incredible £747.00!

That’s real impact.

That’s comfort for parents sitting beside hospital beds.

That’s support at a time when their whole world has collapsed.

David, we are very proud of you and so grateful you chose to run for us. You’ve made a difference that reaches far beyond the finish line.

If anyone would like to support David and help him go even further, there’s still time, every single penny really does matter.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-savage-2026?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=020&fbclid=IwY2xjawRcGL1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFZdlQyeUN6eGRCOVBHWlJNc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPNTE0NzcxNTY5MjI4MDYxAAEezXhdnSENaeZsCeQU0ydgUi1ToHSan91Mb6KYQ045QkgJKG45Ya-G27umI6U_aem_xN6RZnEU_XZvl49_3Iax-A

Thank you, David. You were amazing!

Last September, I had the absolute pleasure of joining the adult tappers from Gillies Mar-Jan Stage School to rehearse for the 5th Shine for Sally Dance Extravaganza. This was my third year taking part in this wonderful show.

Shine for Sally is a truly special occasion. It is an incredible dance show in memory of a beautiful young lady, Sally, who sadly passed away from Ewing Sarcoma at just 14 years old.

Sally was diagnosed and treated on Ward 84 at The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where she received her Milly Bag. She instantly loved her bag and very quickly named Milly’s Smiles as her favourite charity.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to get to know Sally’s beautiful family, and I feel incredibly privileged to call them my friends. It’s strange, but I truly believe that, in some way, our beautiful girls have brought us together.

The performance itself was spectacular, with talented dancers and singers lighting up the stage across two fantastic shows. A new act this year saw a group of bereaved mums and siblings take to the stage in memory of their children. It was a truly emotional performance that brought the whole room to its feet.

Through all the hard work, passion and love poured into it all, an incredible £8,158 was raised, which has been shared between Milly’s Smiles and Derian House Children’s Hospice.

A huge thank you to Sally’s amazing family for supporting us, for allowing me to be a small part of something so special, and for raising such a phenomenal amount of money.

I know Sally will be so proud of her mum, her dad and her gorgeous big sister.

Sometimes, the messages we receive say everything that needs to be said…

A family recently shared this with us after their daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour and started chemotherapy at RMCH:

“Thank you Milly’s Smiles. My daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer in November 2025 and she received her bag last week when we started chemo. She loved the contents and the bag will be our hospital bag as it’s big enough to carry all the essentials for the months ahead. Thank you very much for everything you do.”

At a time when families feel that their entire world has collapsed, it means everything to know that our Milly Bag can bring a little bit of comfort, and something practical to hold onto in those early days.

We’re sending so much love to this beautiful little girl and her family as they begin this journey.

And to every single person who supports us… this is the difference you are making.

A huge thank you to a very enterprising young lady who has been busy with some fundraising for Milly’s Smiles.

Emmie recently set up her very own stall on her driveway after baking some very tasty biscuits. Emmie sold these delicious treats to friends and neighbours, raising an incredible total of £70 for us!

Last week Emmie and her parents came to visit us at the unit, so Emmie could see exactly where her donation would be used.

Moments like this are really special, and it’s lovely that we get to say thank you in person.

We are very grateful to Emmie for her support it really does mean the world to us.

Every single penny raised helps us continue supporting families at a time when their entire world has collapsed, we are all so proud of you Emmie.