Category: News

Graeme had some lovely company on his latest trip over to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, with our longest-standing Trustee, Kath, joining him for the journey.

Together they took 20 more Milly Bags to Ward 86, ready to be given to families arriving following the devastating news that their child has cancer.

They also dropped off a box of our specially designed Journals at the Transplant Unit. These give families somewhere to document their time through transplant, recording everything from important medical information to thoughts, feelings and memories along the way.

And there was a really lovely surprise whilst they were unloading the bags…..Graeme and Kath bumped into Jemma and little Raenah!  We only recently had the privilege of meeting this beautiful family at the fundraising day held for Milly’s Smiles, so it was especially lovely for our team to see them again.

With these latest 20 bags safely at Ward 86, we have now provided an incredible 1,140 Milly Bags to families at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

1,140 families who, at one of the most frightening and overwhelming moments of their lives, have been reminded that someone is thinking of them.

Thank you to everyone who donates, fundraises and believes in what we do, together we are so proud to be making a difference every single day.

Yesterday, another 20 Milly Bags began their journey to Ward C2 at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, bringing the total number we have delivered there to 60.

We began supporting Ward C2 with our Milly Bags last November, and whilst we may never meet the families who receive them, every bag provided is packed with love, in the hope that it not only offers practical support but also lets families know that someone, somewhere, is thinking about them and truly understands what they are going through.

We feel incredibly privileged that Milly’s Smiles can be there for these families, thank you to everyone who continues to support us and believe in what we do. Together we make a difference every single day.

Sometimes a fundraiser comes along that completely captures the heart of Milly’s Smiles, and this is exactly one of those moments.

The children and staff at St Edward’s CE Academy, Cheddleton have spent the past year walking alongside one of their own pupils and their family following a childhood cancer diagnosis.

As a school, they wanted to support one of the charities that had been there for the family, so their wonderful Pupil Council came up with the most thoughtful idea.

Every child was invited to bring an old welly, planted with colourful summer flowers, to create a beautiful display outside their Community Garden. The wellies represented everyone walking alongside their pupil and family, while the bright flowers reflected hope, kindness and brighter days ahead.

Alongside the display, the PTFA organised a bright coloured non-uniform day, and together they raised an incredible £373 for Milly’s Smiles.

This is such a unique fundraiser and one that has truly touched our hearts. It’s never about the money raised, although we are incredibly grateful. It’s about the thought and care that goes into it.

The symbolism of everyone bringing a welly to show they were walking alongside one of their own perfectly reflects everything Milly’s Smiles stands for. Supporting families, being there when life changes in an instant, and reminding them that they never have to face that journey alone.

To everyone at St Edward’s CE Academy, thank you. Thank you to your amazing Pupil Council, your PTFA, every member of staff, every family and every child who brought along a welly and made this possible.

This is such a beautiful fundraiser, and one we will all remember.

On Saturday we had the privilege of attending a wonderful charity fun day at The Commercial in Harle Syke, organised by the amazing Tara in support of Milly’s Smiles.

The day was filled with kindness, generosity and community spirit, but the highlight for us was meeting little Raenah and her beautiful family.

After already supporting Liam through his own cancer diagnosis and treatment, the family were dealt another unimaginable blow when two-year-old Raenah was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia earlier this year.

Meeting them reminded us exactly why Milly’s Smiles exists.

Jemma told us how receiving their Milly Bag in those first overwhelming hours at hospital took away so much of the stress and worry. Having the essentials already there meant they could stop thinking about what they didn’t have, and focus completely on what mattered most… being with their little girl.

Those words will stay with us for a very long time.

As we were leaving, Raenah’s grandma completely surprised us by donating two huge boxes filled with toiletries for future Milly Bags. It was such a thoughtful gift and perfectly sums up this incredible family. Despite everything they have been through, they are already helping other families facing the same journey.

A huge thank you to Tara, everyone at The Commercial, all of the volunteers, sponsors, everyone who donated raffle prizes, and every single person who came along to support the day. Together you’ve not only raised vital funds for Milly’s Smiles, but you’ve helped ensure more families receive support when they need it most.

It was an absolute privilege to meet you all, and we send all our love to Raenah, Liam, Jemma, Hadleigh and Ehzrai.

As our incredible Charity Partnership Year with Oakhill School draws to a close, we wanted to say a huge thank you to every single pupil, member of staff and parent who has supported Milly’s Smiles over the past year.

They have organised so many fantastic fundraising events, but they have truly saved something special for the grand finale…

12 amazing cyclists made up of pupils from Year 6 and above, staff and parents have taken on the incredible 180-mile Way of the Roses challenge, cycling all the way from Morecambe to Bridlington over five days.

From training rides around the beautiful Ribble Valley countryside, to conquering the infamous Black Gill climb (despite being promised “just four hills!”), through the Yorkshire Dales, Ripon, York and beyond, this team has shown incredible determination, resilience and teamwork every single mile of the way.

With days of 30, 43 and even 50 miles in the saddle, they have dug deep, supported one another and inspired us all.

Most importantly, they are doing it to help ensure children and families facing the unimaginable after a childhood cancer diagnosis receive a Milly Bag when they need it most.

They’ve already smashed through milestone after milestone, with donations climbing from £500… to £800… and now almost £1,000!

We couldn’t be prouder to have Oakhill School as one of our Charity Partners this year. Their kindness, enthusiasm and commitment has been nothing short of amazing.

From all of us at Milly’s Smiles… thank you, Oakhill School. You have been absolutely incredible.

We are absolutely delighted to share that our very first delivery of Milly Bags arrived safely at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in Cardiff. 󠁧󠁢󠁷

Up until now, Cardiff has been a plan. Funding applications, teams meetings, translated leaflets, logistics, delivery options… months of hard work behind the scenes.

Then yesterday, the moment these photos arrived, it all became very real. It was the moment we could finally say, “We are here.”

A huge thank you to the wonderful team on Rainbow Ward for giving our bags such a warm welcome. It was so lovely to receive these photos, along with a message that made us smile…

“We appreciate the gifts so much… especially the pens!!” (As a nurse, I can confirm that nurses absolutely love a good pen! )

Our Milly Bags are packed with love and filled with practical and comforting items to support children and their families during those overwhelming first days following a cancer diagnosis.

Knowing that families across Wales will now receive the same support that we have been providing across England for the last ten years is something we are incredibly proud of.

Welcome to the Milly’s Smiles family, Cardiff!

Yn falch o wneud gwahaniaeth, bob dydd.󠁧

Proud to be making a difference, every day.

A New Hospital. The Same Commitment.

Last week was very special for Milly’s Smiles as our very first delivery of Milly Bags arrived on the Rainbow Ward at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff.

From today, children and young people diagnosed with cancer from Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, and across Mid, West and South Wales, will receive a Milly Bag during their first oncology admission.

Supporting a new hospital is never a decision we take lightly.

We only commit to a new hospital when we know we have the funding in place to supply Milly Bags for a minimum of two years. For Rainbow Ward, that represents a commitment of approximately £22,400, based on around 80 children being diagnosed with cancer each year.

It is a significant commitment, but one we are able to make because of the incredible generosity of our supporters. Every donation, every fundraising challenge, every grant, every corporate partnership and every volunteer has played a part in making this possible.

However, this isn’t about reaching our eighth hospital.

It’s about supporting another 80 children and their families every single year.

Whilst we are incredibly proud to be extending our support to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital, this is not a milestone we celebrate. Childhood cancer will never be something to celebrate.

Instead, we feel incredibly privileged.

Privileged that, at one of the darkest moments imaginable, we can provide a little comfort, practical support and remind families that they are not alone.

From this week, a nurse on Rainbow Ward will hand a Milly Bag to a family who has probably never heard of Milly’s Smiles. They won’t know about the years of fundraising, the grant applications, the volunteers who carefully packed every bag, or the supporters whose kindness made it all possible.

What they will know is that, in one of the hardest moments of their lives, someone they have never met cares deeply about what they are going through.

That is why Milly’s Smiles exists.

To every single person who has donated, fundraised, volunteered, shared our story, organised an event, sponsored us, or simply believed in what we do…

Thank you. Diolch.

Because of you, another 80 children and their families every year will receive comfort, kindness and practical support when they need it most.