Fundraiser of the Month Bumper Edition
What a busy summer it’s been! We’ve certainly seen that our fundraisers have been up to all sorts of charitable challenges, with all of them raising incredible amounts of money that will go towards making Alder Hey the special place that it is for all our patients and their families. To celebrate, we have compiled together a special bumper edition of Fundraiser of the Month to capture just some the amazing things that you have all been getting up to while not in school! From charitable crafts to spine-tingling skydives, this summer has had it all! Thank you to each and every one of our fundraisers for their efforts and generosity, we couldn’t achieve our goals without your support.
Our Fundraiser of the Month for June was Ita Taylor, who used her own creative intuition to make and sell a range of brilliant bracelets, badges and phone charms that ended up raising a remarkable £450 for Alder Hey!
Ita, who was diagnosed with Juvenile Dermatomyositis earlier this year, was inspired to fundraise for Alder Hey as a means of thanking all the wonderful staff who have helped and supported her throughout her diagnosis. Ita’s mum, Sinead, said that: “Due to her diagnosis, Ita was unable to go to school for a long time. As part of her physiotherapy, and to keep herself busy, she made bracelets, phone charms and badges. Relatives and friends asked if they could buy some of her jewellery and we then realised that if she could make money from selling her products then we could donate the money to Alder Hey as they have helped us so much during the past few months. The doctors, nurses and all the staff have spent time with us, explaining the condition and working hard to relieve Ita’s pain, all the while looking after her emotional wellbeing. They are fantastic!”
Sinead also told us about the family’s excitement upon finding out Ita had been awarded Fundraiser of the Month. She said: “We were all so excited – it really gave Ita a huge boost. We are so grateful and therefore only too happy to contribute. We are forever indebted to Alder Hey and the amazing staff.”
Thank you to Ita and all her family and friends for thinking of us during such a challenging time. It is generosity like this that helps us to make a difference for our patients like Ita.
Next up is 16-year-old Emma Bradshaw-Kirkham, who recently took to the skies as she completed a skydive on behalf of the Eating Disorder Young People’s Service (EDYS) at Alder Hey.
Emma, whose feat raised a whopping £1307, was inspired to fundraise for Alder Hey to give thanks for all the care and support she has received from the EDYS team over the past two years. She said that she undertook the challenge in order to “[…] spread awareness about eating disorders and the huge effect that they can have on people’s lives.”
Emma’s sentiment was echoed by her proud parents Nick and Stef, who told us: “We are so pleased that
Emma got to do the skydive and that she has been awarded Fundraiser of the Month. Her fundraising really exceeded expectations as she smashed her initial £1000 target, and we hope that the funding goes towards supporting all the young people and their families who continue to face the struggles of eating disorders.”
And if a skydive wasn’t already enough excitement, Emma was keen to share with us how she is already looking forward to her next challenge in support of Alder Hey. She said: “Alder Hey EDYS deserve so much more recognition. The sky dive was amazing and I can’t wait to do another one!” Good luck Emma, we can’t wait to see what you get up to!
Keep an eye on our social media channels for more stories from Alder Hey and our incredible supporters!
