On Sunday 3 November at 11am we will be hosting our 10th Annual Walk, leaving from our unit, on Alan Ramsbottom Way, Great Harwood, BB6 7UA.
Whilst every walk is special to us, this years walk is especially so, as it is to honour Milly’s 21st Birthday. We have always had such amazing support and attendance at Milly’s Walk and we would love for that to be the same this year too.
Food and drink will be provided, and because it is Milly’s 21st Birthday I am sure there will be cakes too!
Sponsorship is optional, but always very much appreciated. If you would like a sponsor form please get in touch.
The walk is approximately 3 miles, it can be muddy depending on the weather and dogs are always welcome.
Spring time is on its way, and with it comes our fabulous Spring Fair!
On Saturday 18th of May you are invited to join us for a day to remember as we join with Great Harwood Rovers FC to bring you a fun-packed day of adventure.
Get ready to be dazzled by the creativity of our local artists, tempted by the scrumptious aromas of food and drinks, and entertained by an array of rides and activities that will keep the young ones spellbound.
But that’s not all! Brace yourself for the ultimate showdown- a charity football match that promises to unite our community and spread love.
Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to be a part of something great!
If you would like a stall at our event please get in touch soon via email, as spaces are running out – hello@millyssmiles.org.
The plan was to create a magical experience for the children and their families and we think we succeeded!
Milly’s Smiles task was to create a Magical Christmas Grotto and bring along some of Santa’s Elf’s to help the day run smoothly!
The elf’s were pretty well behaved although there was a few flying snowballs which almost took off Santa’s hat on a couple of occasions!
The children had a wonderful time which is what it was all about, it was a joy to see their faces as they walked into the grotto and saw Santa and Mrs Claus.
We have to say thank you to some very generous and amazing people who have donated to us:
Milly’s grandad and Janet for the beautiful Christmas tree.
The Senator Group Accrington for Santa’s chair and the children’s chair.
Ewood Florist for the loan of so many amazing decorations.
Mary Bamber for delicious cup cakes.
Maureen for the fabulous knitted snowmen and stockings.
Lorraine 2 for Santa’s chair fleeces.
Annabel for Santa’s personalised cup, tray and milk bottle.
New Bank Garden Centre, Bury for donation of Christmas baubles.
Finally thank you to all the wonderful volunteers today, every single one of them was amazing and it was a pleasure to collaborate with the other charities.
But most of all thank you to the amazing children and their families for being so wonderful and inspiring, we hope you all had a magical day.
Our candle making day for bereaved families was enjoyed by all who attended. We had a mix of mums, grandparents, aunties and brothers and sisters. The group very quickly bonded over coffee and biscuits and the whole day was very natural, with people talking about their children and sharing experiences.
There is a common feeling amongst bereaved parents that those around them cannot truly understand the depth of their grief, only those who have been through it themselves can possibly know the extent of their suffering.
By bringing families together to undertake various creative therapies we aim to provide understanding, comfort, friendship, support and hope. It feels after our first session that this is very much underway.
Our next session is on Sunday 2 July at 2pm, where we will be creating fairy houses. The afternoon is open to anyone who has lost a child and is totally free to attend.
We will be hosting our 8th Annual Walk for Milly on Sunday 6 November at 11am.
This year it takes place on her 19th Birthday, and we would love for you to come and join us.
Free food and drink will be provided after the walk at Milly’s Smiles HQ.
Sponsorship is optional, if you would like a sponsor form please get in touch.
The walk is 6KM or 3.7 Miles miles, it can be muddy (depending on the weather) and dogs are always welcome.
Start & Finish
We will be walking from Milly’s Smiles HQ, Unit 4, Alan Ramsbottom Way, Great Harwood. BB6 7UA.
We look forward to seeing you there – all you need to do is turn up!
New Route!
We have an exciting new route for this year which is almost all off road and a slightly reduced distance – down from 5 miles to 3.7 miles. We hope that this will make it more inclusive for people.
We would love you to come and join us at our Summer Fayre on Sunday 15 August 2021 at our Unit in Great Harwood.
There will be lots going on throughout the afternoon to keep all the family entertained. We have some special guests planned. A best decorated cake competition, fun activities for children and lots more.
If you are interested in having a stall please email us at hello@millyssmiles.org
Despite 2020 being a difficult year for fundraising we have been overwhelmed with the amount of support received over the Christmas Period.
We are so grateful for all your kindness and generosity.
Donations have been received from local companies, donations have been made in lieu of people sending Christmas gifts and cards, people have donated anonymously and people have simply put money into our bank account.
Kindness is everywhere despite the difficult times we are all experiencing, and that truly warms my heart.
We apologise if we haven’t contacted anyone directly to pass on our gratitude but often in cases where money is donated via Virgin Money Giving or Just Giving, people can get missed.
Please do know that we are always humbled and thankful for your kindness.
We wish you all a healthy, happy 2021 and thank you for believing in us and continuing to support Milly’s Smiles.
Over the course of 2021 Paul is taking on a personal challenge of climbing to the summit of Pendle Hill 250 times in order to raise much needed funds for us at Milly’s Smiles.
Paul plans to take on the hill up 3 times a week doing at least 2 laps per visit.
He has already got off to a great start even with all the snow and ice we have had recently.
We are so grateful for his support, we have been hit hard over the last year with a reduction in fundraising and there appears to be no respite anytime soon.
Any support means the world to us and allows us to continue making a difference to families every day. A massive thank you to Paul, we look forward to seeing the updates as he progresses with his challenge.
Every first Sunday in November we celebrate Milly’s birthday by holding our annual ‘Walk 5 Miles for Milly’s Smiles’.
The walk is always popular, familiar faces turn up every year along with new faces that are keen to support us and get involved.
We really look forward to this event, it gives us chance to chat with you all and show our thanks for all your kindness and support…
Sadly this year after much thought and consideration we have had to make the decision that we can’t hold the event, whilst ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone there.
Even though we can’t all come together to walk for Milly’s birthday we would absolutely love it if people would still walk for Milly’s Smiles on Sunday 1st November….
It would be amazing and heart-warming to see photos of families walking and knowing that they are supporting us.
Our walk is a big part of our annual fundraising and we have already suffered financially due to Covid pandemic.
If anyone wanted to walk and raise money that would be amazing – but most definitely not essential.
What we love most of all is that you care enough to support us by walking on that day.
Massive thank you for all the previous years support and we truly hope we can do this in our normal way next year.