Category: News

Yesterday was a truly special day for Milly’s Smiles as we delivered our 1,000th Milly Bag to Ward 86 at The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

It’s a moment that represents nine years of dedication, love, hard work, and support from the local community. Whilst the day was very emotional, it also provided a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come, and the difference we have been able to make to so many families.

Our very first delivery was made back in March 2016, to what was then Ward 84. Helen, one of our trustees, arrived at the entrance with 25 of our Milly Bags, only to be met by staff expecting a few small items on a little admin trolley, they were definitely not expecting the bag to be quite so big! The bags were an immediate success, the nurses loved having something positive to offer newly admitted families, and parents described them as a “hug in a bag” from someone who truly understood. Interestingly when we began supplying our bags we named them ‘Welcome Bags’ but slowly over time the parents referred to them as Milly Bags, which we loved and obviously were thrilled to rename them as such.

Over the years the bags have evolved with lots of extra items being added following feedback from families, which has resulted in them becoming the incredible bags that they are today.

When I began Milly’s Smiles, just a few months after losing Milly, I had no idea where the charity would go, my main motivation was to keep Milly’s memory alive whilst also helping and supporting families walking the same path Milly and I did.

Milly’s Smiles has been my saviour, the charity gave me a purpose and a reason for going on. Losing my beautiful daughter has been the single worst thing that has ever happened to me and I know I will never recover from being without her, however, Milly’s Smiles has allowed me to keep her with me every single day, and I am so grateful for that.

Yesterday was such an honour for our charity, we have supported every new admission onto the children’s oncology unit without fail, we have never left the ward without bags, and have never reneged on our promise to support families every single day. Not only that but we have expanded our support to other oncology families across a large part of the country, and I am so very proud of all that we have achieved.

Our team were extremely well looked after yesterday, they had the chance to speak to many families, children and staff who looked after Milly when she was on the ward. A couple of our team managed to get themselves a lovely tattoo from Tallulah who had set up her own studio beside her bed! We received some beautiful cards from the children and these will be displayed in our unit and treasured forever. It was especially wonderful to have a visit from Helen, who was the Ward Manager when Milly was being treated, and was instrumental in helping us get our Milly Bags onto the ward 9 years ago.

It wasn’t an easy decision to acknowledge the 1,000th delivery, we were all conscious that we didn’t want it to become a celebration, but we knew that we had to do something to recognise all that we have done. It was lovely that all the families we spoke with validated our feelings, telling us we should be acknowledging the day, as the difference we make to their journey is huge.

I feel sure Milly will have been watching the team yesterday, and will have loved seeing some of her nurses, especially the ‘real’ Becky, who kindly had her photo taken with Gemma! She really will be so proud of what we do in her name, and the difference we make to children just like her.

#MillysSmiles #1000MillyBags #ChildhoodCancerSupport #InMemoryOfMilly #MakingADifference #WithLoveAndPurpose

Last year, we were blown away by the support of four incredible people, Natalie, her husband Simon, and their friends Tom and Martin who organised a charity football match in memory of a very special young girl, Olivia, who sadly passed away in 2021.

We were thrilled when this year, the team chose to support Milly’s Smiles for the second year running, a decision which they said was so easy, after visiting our unit and seeing first-hand how we support children and families. Thanks to their phenomenal fundraising last year, they played a key role in helping us expand our support to children at Oxford Hospital which was a huge deal for us!

This year’s Olivia’s Charity Match was another unforgettable day. The sun shone, the crowds came out in force, and the atmosphere was full of fantastic community spirit. From the exciting football match to the fantastic stalls, entertainment, and tasty food it was a day packed with fun and purpose.

The total raised was an absolutely incredible £10,866! A truly staggering amount that far exceeded our expectations and is a real testament to the hard work, passion, and dedication of everyone involved.

As if that wasn’t enough, the team also collected over 400 toiletry items for our Milly Bags and delivered them to our unit this week. It was so lovely to welcome them and say thank you again in person.

A very special mention goes to Olivia and her amazing parents. There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child. But to channel that heartbreak into helping others is one of the bravest, most generous things a person can do. Their strength, love, and desire to keep Olivia’s memory alive by making a difference to other families is nothing short of inspirational.

From all of us at Milly’s Smiles a huge thank you for everything.

#MillysSmiles #OliviasCharityMatch #MakingADifference #CommunityKindness #InMemoryOfOlivia

This week is Volunteer Week and at Milly’s Smiles we want to give a huge shout out to all our incredible volunteers.

Every single one of them plays a vital role in helping us support families when their world has been turned upside down by a childhood cancer diagnosis. Their kindness, dedication, and willingness to help is at the very heart of everything we do.

Whether it’s:

Packing or delivering Milly Bags

Helping with crafts or knitting our wonderful rainbow elephants

Providing admin and office support

Assisting at events, running stalls or painting faces

Helping with bids and fundraising applications

Giving talks in the community

Or simply being there whenever we need a helping hand…

Each volunteer brings something unique and valuable to our charity and we simply couldn’t do what we do without them.

From everyone at Milly’s Smiles, thank you…… Thank you for your time, your care, your compassion, and for helping us to make a difference at a time when families feel their entire world has collapsed.

We are so proud to have you with us.

#VolunteerWeek #ThankYouVolunteers #MillysSmiles #TeamMilly #MakingADifference #ChildhoodCancerSupport

View Post

Some days you just know you will remember forever, and our Spring Fair was certainly way up there. We had been planning this event for almost 12 months and we wanted to put on an even better day than last year if that was possible.

All our wonderful volunteers came back on board along with some wonderful new recruits too. Everyone was amazing and nothing was too much trouble.

After weeks of watching the weather the actual day came around really fast, and we were so lucky that the sun beamed down for us for the whole of the day.

We had well over 3,000 visitors which was just amazing to see and way beyond our expectations, it was wonderful to see every single person there.

The event was supported by a huge amount of local businesses and community groups and we would like to thank each and every person that came along and supported us, whether that be as a volunteer, trader, visitor, local community group or business. We feel very honoured to have had you all there with us.

All the money is in, we have finally finished counting, and are therefore extremely thrilled to announce that our Spring Fair has raised an amazing £6,156.52!

Every single pound will help us support children and families who are admitted into hospital after their child has been diagnosed with a cancer related illness.

Thank you from every single one of us at Milly’s Smiles, you have helped us to make a real difference and we are so grateful to you all.

#MillysSmiles #SpringFairSuccess #MakingADifference #ThankYou #CommunitySupport #ChildhoodCancerSupport

A few weeks ago, we received a lovely email from two Year 9 students from The Hyndburn Academy. Evelyn and Phoebe wrote to ask if they could volunteer with Milly’s Smiles as part of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.

As a community focused charity, we were delighted to welcome them to our unit in Great Harwood, and over the past few weeks, Evelyn and Phoebe have visited us three times. Twice after school to help pack Milly Bags (which they did beautifully!) and today during their half-term break, where they put together the toiletries and wash bags that sit in the side pocket of our Milly Bags.

From the outset, Evelyn and Phoebe were an absolute pleasure to have, both girls have been polite, committed, and enthusiastic about supporting our work. They showed a genuine interest in what we do, asking thoughtful questions about the contents of the Milly Bags and taking the time to understand how each item supports families during their hospital stay. Their interest went far beyond simply volunteering, they truly wanted to understand the impact of our work.

Wanting to go one step further, and support us financially, Evelyn and Phoebe organised and completed an incredible fundraising challenge. They undertook an 11km hike up Blencathra, via the famously demanding ‘Sharp Edge’ route. Not only did they face this challenge with determination and courage, they also planned and coordinated the entire event themselves, with support from their families

Their efforts have raised just over £1,000 which will help us continue supporting families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis. This is an outstanding achievement that will make a massive difference to families arriving into hospital unexpectedly.

We are so proud of everything Evelyn and Phoebe have accomplished. Their initiative, resilience, and compassion are shining examples of what young people can achieve when they put their hearts into something.

Thank you so much girls, we really are grateful for your support.

#DofE #StudentSuccess #MillysSmiles #EducationWithCharacter #WideningHorizonsHYA #BlencathraChallenge #InspiringYoungPeople

A huge shout out to the incredible Breanna, who this weekend took on the challenge of running the Edinburgh Marathon for Milly’s Smiles.

To reach the start line after months of hard training is a massive achievement in itself, and to then cross the finish line is nothing short of inspiring.

Breanna committed to 504 miles of training over 6 months in preparation for the main event yesterday, and completed the marathon in just 3 hours, 56 minutes and 5 seconds which is just incredible!

Because of Breanna’s efforts and the incredible generosity of everyone who donated, shared her fundraiser, or sent messages of encouragement, a massive £1,745 (and counting!) has been raised , which will all help us to continue making a difference at a time when families feel their entire world has collapsed.

From all of us at Milly’s Smiles, thank you, thank you, thank you, enjoy your well-earned rest, you have absolutely earned it and we are so very proud of you.

#MillysSmiles #EdinburghMarathon #ThankYouBreanna #MakingADifference

A HUGE thank you to the brilliant team at Nightingales Garage in Great Harwood!

Throughout the month of April, these wonderful people decided to support Milly’s Smiles in the most generous way, they decided to donate £5 from every job they carried out. From MOTs to mystery rattles, they turned spanners into smiles, and by the end of the month had raised an incredible £855!

But their kindness didn’t stop there, the team have been amazing cheerleaders for us too, by sharing our posts, spreading the word about what we do, and even popping down to support our events in person.

We are beyond grateful for their continued support, thank you Nightingales, for your amazing generosity and for helping us to make a difference every day to children newly diagnosed with cancer.

Last September, I had the absolute pleasure of joining the adult tappers from Gillies Mar-Jan Stage School to rehearse for the 4th Shine for Sally Dance Extravaganza. Every Monday evening was filled with laughter, rhythm, and plenty of tapping as we prepared for the big event, which took place at the end of November last year.

Shine for Sally is a truly special event consisting of a charitable dance show in memory of a beautiful young lady, Sally, who sadly passed away from Ewing Sarcoma at just 14 years old. Sally was treated on Ward 84 at The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where she received her Milly Bag, which she loved, and Milly’s Smiles became her favourite charity.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to come to know Sally’s beautiful family, and I feel incredibly privileged to call them my friends. It’s strange, but I truly believe that in some way, our beautiful girls have brought us together.

The event itself was spectacular, with talented dancers and singers lighting up the stage and entertaining audiences across two fantastic performances.

Through all the hard work, passion, and love poured into the event, a remarkable £6,000 was raised! This incredible amount has been split between Milly’s Smiles and Derian House.

Last week, I had the honour of being presented with a cheque from all the wonderful dancers. A huge thank you to Sally’s amazing family for supporting us, for allowing me to be a small part of such a beautiful event, and for raising such a phenomenal amount of money for us. I just know that Sally will be so proud of her mum, her dad, and her gorgeous big sister.

Last week, we sent our third pallet of 20 Milly Bags over to Kamran’s Ward at Oxford Children’s Hospital, and we’re so pleased to say it arrived safely and without a hitch!

The bags were collected from the main entrance by the wonderful staff and taken straight up to the ward, ready to be given to families arriving on the ward for the very first time.

It was especially lovely to receive a message from the Ward Manager, who shared with us that when she walked into the four-bedded bay, “every child was using something from their Milly Bag. Two were brand-new patients and two a couple of months into treatment. We have also had lots of lovely feedback about them; the families are very, very grateful.”

Hearing this means the world to us. Knowing that Milly’s Smiles is able to make a difference at a time when families feel that their entire world has collapsed is why we continue this important work, we are humbled to be able to support so many families every single day.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who makes this possible, we know that what we do is very much a team effort, and we could not make the difference we do without such widespread incredible support.

Yesterday was another special day as we delivered 20 Milly Bags to Ward 3B at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, bringing our total number of bags delivered to Liverpool to an incredible 490. That’s 490 families across Liverpool, The Wirral, North Wales and the Isle of Man that we’ve been able to support via Alder Hey, during one of the most challenging times of their lives. We are truly so proud to be able to continue making this difference every single day.

This time, Graeme was joined by a new volunteer, Nick, who is no stranger to Milly’s Smiles! Nick is a member of Sabden Cricket Club and has been heavily involved in their amazing fundraising activities for us over the last few years. Nick’s first delivery went very smoothly, and he did a wonderful job!

A massive thank you to everyone who continues to donate to Milly’s Smiles, and to our fantastic delivery team, Graeme and Nick, for making sure the bags arrived safely.