This week we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming five lovely pupils from Oakhill School, who came along to help us pack Milly Bags.
They were all so polite, kind, and genuinely engaged in what they were doing, taking care with every bag packed. It was an absolute joy to have them with us.
Oakhill School have chosen Milly’s Smiles as one of their charities for the year, which feels especially close to our hearts as Milly herself was once a pupil at their nursery school (many years ago).
The school’s sponsored walk and hot chocolate stall at the recent firework display have already raised a significant amount of money for us, and we are so grateful for the support they have given.
They school are planning more activities, and we look forward to working with them to allow us to continue making a difference when a families entire world has collapsed.
Thank you so much to everyone at Oakhill School and Nursery.
Last year, Siemens Energy Manchester got in touch to ask if they could choose Milly’s Smiles as their Charity of the Year, following an incredibly difficult time for one of their colleagues and her family.
In November 2023, Lucy’s daughter, Evie, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and began a long and intense journey of treatment on Ward 86 at The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
During that time, we were able to support Lucy, Evie and their family, with a Milly bag, which made such a difference to the family, and knowing this means more than we can ever put into words.
Throughout 2025 the Siemens Energy team truly went above and beyond. Through walking 5K for Milly, setting up an elephant knitting team, taking on lots of different challenges, and even coming onto the unit to help pack Milly Bags, they raised an incredible £9,654.00 for Milly’s Smiles.
This support helps us make a difference at a time when families feel that their entire world has collapsed, and we are so incredibly grateful that they chose to support us in this way.
Thank you to everyone at Siemens Energy for your compassion, your time and your generosity. It really does mean so much. Every penny will go towards our work supporting families just like Evie’s.
We send our love to Evie and her family and wish her well with her ongoing treatment.
Some journeys are taken with suitcases. Others are carried in the heart.
Growing up Milly had so many lovely friends, there were lots of people she cared about, but her best friend was always Izzy. They were best friends all the way through infant and junior school, growing up side by side and sharing lots of special moments.
This Thursday, Izzy heads off travelling for three months, visiting Dubai, Australia and Thailand. And I know, without a doubt, that if Milly were here, she would be going with her. Milly wanted to see the world. Australia was always a big dream of hers, especially the chance to swim with dolphins in the wild. Milly had aspirations of becoming a marine biologist and working with the beautiful creatures she loved so much.
Today, Izzy came to collect something very special to take with her on her travels. A little toy dog that Milly had when she was much younger. It came with a dolls house, but Milly loved playing “hide the dog” with me and her sister instead. We spent hours playing that game, and that little dog holds so many precious memories for us.
It means so much to me that Izzy is taking the dog with her. It feels like a part of Milly is going on this adventure too. And while I wish with all my heart that Milly was physically going with Izzy, I believe she is with her in her own way, wherever she goes.
In April 2023, in partnership with TeamLuke Foundation, our first 20 Milly Bags were delivered to Ward 4 at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.
On the 23rd December, Team Luke returned to the ward with a further delivery, bringing the total number of Milly Bags donated to 80.
The day was especially poignant for Team Luke, as it marked seven years since Luke heartbreakingly passed away.
Every year, Luke’s family visit the Millennium Bridge in Newcastle, which is lit in Luke’s favourite colours of green and blue and is a beautiful tribute to Luke and his legacy.
As well as supporting Milly’s Smiles in Newcastle, Team Luke also fund vital research into neuroblastoma. Following a further donation their total contribution to The Institute of Cancer Research now stands at an incredible £100,000!
We are so proud to partner with this wonderful charity and feel especially grateful to be able support families admitted to Ward 4 at a time when their whole world has been turned upside down.
We send all our love to Luke’s family and thank you so much for working with us and helping us to make a difference every day.
It was so lovely to be invited down to the club at the end of last month to collect the cheque and to meet some of the fantastic swimmers and dedicated club organisers. The passion, kindness and sense of community was very clear to see.
Milly was a member of the Otters for many years and absolutely loved training with the club, so it truly does hold a very special place in our hearts.
Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome, and thank you again for raising such a wonderful amount of money to support our work. It really does mean the world.
We want to send the warmest Christmas thank you to Danielle and her daughter Elise, who have spent the past few weeks turning our knitted elephants into the most charming, sparkly Christmas Reindeer Elephants for the Great Harwood Christmas Extravaganza.
They have poured so many hours into choosing colours, adding tiny festive touches, and carefully finishing each one by hand. Every elephant glittered with love, imagination and Christmas cheer, and they looked absolutely magical on the stall.
This wonderful project also formed part of Elise’s Duke of Edinburgh Award, and we were so touched that she chose Milly’s Smiles as her charity to support. Elise was diagnosed with liver cancer just one week after Milly, and our families travelled that same frightening journey together. That bond has stayed with us, and seeing Elise now giving her creativity and kindness back to the charity means more than words can say.
Elise was joined on Saturday by another of our fabulous DofE volunteers, Evelyn, who threw herself into the day with enthusiasm and festive spirit. Both girls chatted, sold elephants, welcomed visitors and worked so hard, they were a joy to watch.
Danielle shared something this weekend that captured Christmas kindness perfectly: “Milly Bags aren’t just practical, they are a warm hug, a spark of joy and a little bit of hope when families are stepping into a world they never expected”.
On Ward 84, when Danielle and Elise were there themselves, Milly’s Smiles didn’t exist. To see them now helping us bring comfort to other families at the scariest moment of their lives… it’s incredibly moving, even more so at this time of year.
Saturday was fantastic! With their help, and the generosity of everyone who visited our stall, bought an elephant or stopped to share a smile, we raised an amazing £740.44!
This will help us continue providing Milly Bags to families whose world has collapsed, and for that we are so grateful.
To Danielle, Elise and Evelyn, thank you so much for your time, talent, heart and Christmas sparkle.
A special mention to Richard for cutting out all the reindeers and Santa’s Cookie Mats, to Great Harwood Events and finally to everyone who supported us, thank you for helping us keep Milly’s legacy shining bright this festive season.
This morning Graeme and Mark delivered a further 20 Milly Bags to Ward 3B at Alder Hey, along with some Christmas treats for the wonderful staff, who work so hard caring for families every single day.
This delivery brings our total to 530 Milly Bags – thats 530 families who have received comfort and practical support on one of the hardest days of their lives.
We wish more than anything that there was no need for our bags. We can’t change a diagnosis or an outcome. But if we can offer a little bit of care, a little bit of comfort, and remind families they are not alone… then we feel honoured to do so.
Every single one of those bags has been made possible by our amazing supporters and fundraisers. We truly could not do what we do without you.
Thank you to everyone who helps us make a difference when it is needed, we are so grateful for all your support and kindness.
Our SOULS group enjoyed a fantastic Christmas wreath-making session on Sunday, led by the amazing Debbie from Ewood Florist. Everyone threw themselves into the activity, and the wreaths created were absolutely brilliant, and it was lovely to see so much talent in one room!
A big thank you to Debbie for her time and expertise, and to the Asda Foundation,whose generous grant funded this session. Their support meant our families could enjoy a relaxed, creative morning together at a time of year that can be especially difficult.
We’re really proud to be able to offer monthly support sessions like this, each session is always free to attend with no pressure or expectations from anyone. Just a warm, kind welcome for everyone living with the loss of a child.
A massive WELL DONE to the amazing pupils in Class 5 who completed a sponsored swim and raised an incredible £1,073.50 for Milly’s Smiles!
This amazing amount will help seven families providing them with support at a time when they feel their whole world has collapsed.
We absolutely love it when children get involved in fundraising for us, they are always so passionate about doing their absolute best and raising as much as they can, and we can safely say Class 5 smashed it!
To every swimmer, you are awesome, and we are truly so very proud of you.
Thank you for helping us to make such a big difference.
