Category: News

Today, over 180 people turned up to celebrate Milly’s 13th Birthday and our second annual ‘Walk 5 Miles for Milly’s Smiles’ walk.  People travelled from near and far and we were also lucky to have several families join us from Ward 84.  The weather was kind to us, we had sunshine, a little bit of rain, and that meant we also got a rainbow!  After the walk everyone met back at The Plough, where we had pies generously donated by Hollands Pies, cheese & onion pie which was kindly made by Colleen Magill and hot potatoe pie made by Linda.  We also had some amazing cupcakes made by some very generous bakers and they proved a great success.  It was a great day, everyone was in good spirits and all there to help celebrate Milly’s birthday and to raise money for Milly’s charity.  We are now in the process of collecting in the money and as soon as we have the final total we will let you know.

Today our Bone Marrow Journals were delivered onto the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit,at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where they were well received by the nurses.  The journals are to help children and their parents chart the long journey from the start of transplant to discharge and to day case visits.  There is the opportunity for both the children and parents to complete the book, also included are sections for the doctors and nurses to write in there too.  And just because we can we included one of our signature rainbow elephants too!

On Thursday a fundraising event was held by Kathryn Lloyd.  Kathryn held a coffee morning, with stalls selling cakes and toys, there was also a raffle and an entertainer who kept the children thoroughly entertained.  Kathryn was raising money for Milly’s Smiles and for Bliss – a charity for premature and sick babies.  Kathryn’s hard work certainly paid off and she has raised £293.00.  Massive thank you for all your hard work and to everyone who came and supported your event.  Without people like yourself we would be unable to do what we do, so we thank you so very much.

Rachel Robinson and a team of friends took on the X Runner Wild Run on Saturday.  This was a 10K run with over 60 obstacles to challenge them!  Rachel’s nephew Dexter, is currently being treated on Ward 84 for Acute Lymphatic Leukaemia.  Dexter is just 4 years old, and as Rachel’s says ‘When we were hit with the sad news, none of us had any idea of what lay ahead’.  After a year on treatment Dexter is doing really well, he is able to attend school when he is well and is soldiering on though his 3 year treatment plan.  Dexter’s family have seen our Welcome Bags on Ward 84, they know first hand, from speaking to the families, how much of a difference they make to families on their first days on the ward.  The total raised by Rachel and friends is £1622.50 – Well Done Guys!

A local social cycling group held their first 100 mile cycle ride last year, raising money for charity.  This year we are honoured that they chose Milly’s Smiles as their main charity.  The cyclists complete a 100 mile bike ride, whilst juggling time in the saddle and managing nutrition and hydration on the day.  They have raised an amazing amount of £1335.00 for Milly’s Smiles, guys you are all amazing, thank you so much.

Johnny Moorcroft and his dad John took part in a triathlon, that consisted of a 400 metre swim, 24.5km bike ride and finished off with a 6.2 km run!  They both managed to successfully complete the event, whilst raising money for Milly’s Smiles.  Massive congratulations to you both, that’s a great achievement.

Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile, mud and obstacle course designed to drag you out of your comfort zone by testing your physical strength, stamina, and mental grit. With no podiums, winners, or clocks to race against, it’s not about how fast you can cross the finish line. Rather, it’s a challenge that emphasizes teamwork, camaraderie, and accomplishing something almost as tough as you are.  Steve Bettey, along with some friends took up this challenge in order to raise money for Milly’s Smiles, as the charity is very close to the hearts of some dear friends of theirs, judging from these pictures it looks like they had a ball!  Well done guys and thank you for your amazing contribution.

We had some lovely people challenging themselves with this tough half marathon, in order to raise money of Milly’s Smiles.  Danielle Etherington and Abi Gallucci proudly wore their Milly’s Smiles T-shirts as they ran 13 miles, raising a great amount for a great cause.  Thank you so much guys, you are helping us make a huge difference to families from the North West.

Earlier this year, we asked if anybody could help us with our mission to include a knitted rainbow elephant in our Welcome Bags.  We were overwhelmed with the response from people who were willing to donate their time and knit this lovely cute elephants for us.  We have had knitters from Eysium Community Centre knitting for us, ladies from Ribble Valley Breast Friends Group, and other kind individuals too.  The team work amongst knitters has been brilliant, there has been knitters, stuffers and sewers all working together! We love it and we love the elephants too.  Thank you to each and every person who has helped in anyway, and keep up the good work!

Wishing all the runners today at the Baxenden Fun Run lots of luck and a massive thank you for supporting Milly’s Smiles. Hope you all have a great run and we look forward to seeing all your pictures.