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Our Achievements!

Milly’s Smiles started in November 2015, just 2 months after I lost Milly.
I wanted to help every family receiving the worst news possible, that their child has cancer.
I also desperately needed to keep Milly’s name and memory very much alive.
After a few months of research I came up with a Welcome Bag. A bag full of essential items to help through the first few weeks of an unplanned hospital admission. It was to be given to every newly diagnosed family admitted onto the ward.
Ward 84 received our first bag in February 2016. It was funny because when they came to collect the bags they brought a tiny trolley, not realising how big our bags actually were! The trolley barely contained 2 bags, let alone the 25 we had for them.
The bags were an instant success, every item was needed and used every day, very quickly our rainbow blankets started to brighten up the ward and have now become an instantly recognisable item, identifying oncology families to each other.
After a few weeks the families and staff renamed our bags to Milly Bags and this is how they are now known. (I love this !)
In April 2016 we became a fully registered charity which was a proud moment indeed.
After a year operating from my garage and living room it was clear that we needed some premises. We rented a small office (up 4 flights of stairs!).
However 2 years of carrying large boxes up and down almost daily took its toll and with storage becoming more limited we knew we needed somewhere bigger.
During this time we had also taken on another hospital – Ward 3B at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Luckily for us a small industrial unit became available which was perfect and we were fortunate enough to secure it.
And this is where we find ourselves almost 6 years later.
We now are honoured to support 4 large oncology wards at 4 major hospitals across the country.
Royal Manchester, Alder Hey, Leeds and St Barts Children’s Hospital’s .
To date we have donated 1014 Milly Bags at a cost of approximately £141,960.
Families tell us our Milly Bag is so much more than a bag, it’s knowing someone cares and understands their fears and worry of what lies ahead. It’s about being there at that time where life has forever changed to before and after.
6 years ago I never imagined Milly’s Smiles would have made such a difference to so many families.., we are so lucky to have tremendous support from people from all walks of life.
I wish that there wasn’t a need for our bags, that children didn’t get cancer, ever. But until that time, our Milly Bags will continue to support families across the country every single day.
Thank you to everyone past and present over the years for your belief in Milly’s Smiles, and to the 1014 families we send all our love to you.
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Richard’s epic cycle from Lands’ End to John O’Grouts

At the start of the year, having finished work in December, Richard was looking for a challenge and an opportunity to mark that transition.

He decided on cycling Lands’ End to John O’Groats as it was something he’d long had at the back of his mind, but never really thought he would get the chance.

In March his nephew Chris’ 3-year-old daughter Mary was diagnosed out of the blue with cancer.  After tests it was determined to be at stage 4 which was terrible news for Chris, and all his family.  Richard wondered if there was any charity or organisation that was supporting Mary that he could raise money for, to try to do something positive.

Chris suggested Milly’s Smiles, a charity who had provided him, his wife Colette, Mary and their 10-year-old son Henry with support, to help whilst the treatment started.

For Richard, any sponsorship needed to have some element of endurance, and not be too comfortable.  For that reason, he decided that he would give himself some extra challenges –

1. every night spent camping (except for emergencies);

2. solo and unsupported (apart from the very occasional meal and a shower in the houses of friends and family as I pass by);

3. mostly powered by plants (with the occasional non-vegan cake or pudding to keep morale high).

Richard achieved all of the above and so much more. His blog was a delight to read and we are in awe of what he has done for Milly’s Smiles.  To date he has raised a staggering £6,649.00 which will fund 66 Milly Bags for families facing such a devsatating diagnosis.

We send our most grateful thanks to Richard and everyone who has sponsored him, and we send our love to Mary and her family and wish her all the best with her ongoing treatment.

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Race to the Castle – 100km Ultra Marathon

During the last weekend in June, five lovely people undertook an incredible challenge –  Race to The Castle.

This is a mamoth challenge where participants can walk, jog or run an epic 100km Ultra Marathon in the stunning surroundings of the North East of England, finally ending up at the finishing point at Bamburgh Castle.

The group have done this challenge several times in the past,  this year they decided that they would do it for Milly’s Smiles.

Training began in February, and the team battled sleet, snow, rain and howling winds during their rigorous training programme.

We are in awe at their determination, dedication and commitment to raise money for us.

The photo’s from the day are fabulous and the smiles at the finish line are wonderful to see.  A huge thank you to Dian, John, Wendy, David and Nadia, for your amazing support and for raising a wonderful £3,840 for us.

 

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Wedding Day!

Being happy isn’t something that you think you will ever achieve when you lose your child, in fact, it is something that you really don’t ever want to feel again.
Because how can you be happy when you have lost a huge part of your heart, how can you ever smile again when someone you love more than life is missing from you?
However the world will continue to turn and whether you like it or not, things will and things do change.
Recently, I came close to happy, probably as close as I ever can be..
A few weeks ago I got married surrounding by the people I love, and although Milly wasn’t there, she really was there.
She was entwined into the day from the start to the end, and for that I am blessed.
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Milly’s Smiles Van hits the road

We made our first delivery in the new van earlier this month and it was to Ward 84 at Manchester.
The sun shone down on David and Vicky, as they headed over to the hopsital and the van got a verey warm reception on arrival.
The team even had the unexpected pleasure of meeting a lovely young man Ahmed and his mum, who very kindly gave us a generous and unexpected donation.
We never see the delivery of our Milly Bags as a celebration, they are the bags that no parent would ever want to receive. The are however, bags that make such a difference during such an uncertain frightening time.
We always feel privileged to be able to help families in some small way.
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Milly’s Smiles Official Delivery/Events Van

After almost a year of debating, we took the plunge a few months ago and bought a Milly’s Smiles delivery/events van.
Today we collected it from GR8 Sports, where it had been in for its new livery …. and what a transformation!
We absolutely love it! GR8 have excelled themselves and they have done it all for free!
Thank you to Paul and his team, who are all simply amazing, Your kindness is appreciated more than we can ever express.
We have a few deliveries scheduled over the coming weeks, if you spot us give us a beep!
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4 year old Arla takes on 100 Challenge for Milly’s Smiles

We recently heard from Arla’s mum who told us that Arla, aged 4, has been taking on the 100 challenge in celebration of Sir Captain Tom Moore’s birthday by running for 100 minutes over the course of the week starting on Friday 30th April.
With the same extraordinary spirit of Sir Captain Tom Moore, Arla has chosen Millys Smiles, because we helped to support her close friend Jacob.
In 2018 at 21 months old, Jacob was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He and Arla met at a playgroup when they were toddlers and have been friends ever since. They are now in the same class at school together and are looking forward to resuming play dates outside of school when the current covid restrictions allow.
Mum told us that on her first run Arla ran 1.1 miles in 15 minutes, during that she also fell and cut her knee, but got straight back up and carried on running!
Huge huge well done Arla, we think you are truly amazing and we are so proud of you.  Good luck with the rest of your run 😀🎗🌈
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129 Milly Bags delivered to Leeds over the last 19 months.

Another delivery was made by David and Vicky to Leeds Childrens Hospital at the end of last month.

We have been supporting Ward L31 for 19 months now, and have helped almost 129 families during one of the most frightening time of their lives.

We make a difference every single day, not only to the families receiving our Milly Bags, but also to the nurses who get to hand out the bags.  The bags make the admission process a little easier, and give the families something else to concentate on for a few minutes.

We feel so proud that we are able to help families during such an uncertain time.

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A delivery to Ward 84 and a beautiful poem received in return!

Our brilliant delivery team David and Vicky took a further  20 Milly Bags to Manchester Children’s Hospital last month, and this delivery included the 600th Bag.
A short while later we were sent this beautiful poem about our bags, knowing how much of a difference each bag makes is why we do what we do.  
In the darkest of days, a rainbow shines through,
In the form of a bag filled with goodies for you.
A blanket that doubles as a hug when required,
And a travel mug for coffee which is essential when tired.
When you need to remember, there’s a diary and pen,
And of course, an elephant teddy for when you need a friend.
A towel and wash kit for you to freshen up,
And a cool beanie hat if you feel you need to cover up.
A heat pack to chase all those aches and pains away,
And jelly babies that keep the dietitians happy during your stay.
All of these things you won’t realise you need, when you’re brought to hospital at unexpected speed.
So when you arrive here and discover this magical pack,
It’s comforting to know that Milly and her rainbow bags have already got your back.
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Baby Cole and family say ‘Thank you so much’

We received this lovely message last week from Chris who also included gorgeous photos of his little boy, our hearts just melted…
“Good morning, just wanted to pass on mine and my partner Becks thanks and say thank you so much for our Milly’s smiles hospital bag. My five month old baby boy Cole was rushed into Alder Hay on Sunday with suspected leukaemia, he has been diagnosed with A.L.L and is having his lumber puncture and first bit of chemo today.
We were given the bag on Monday and all the things in it are beautiful especially the blanket….it’s Cole’s and his mum fav thing so it’s a battle as to who gets it first at the minute.
We can’t thank you enough it’s a wonderful thing that you do.
Anyway hope this puts as big a smile on your face as Milly’s Bag did on ours”
It is always heartwarming to hear first hand how much we help at such a difficult frightening time. We are so proud and humbled to be able to do this in Milly’s name. Sending love and strength to Cole and his family.