Lindfield pupil donates her pocket money to help Cancer Research UK

Ella, 4, and her two-year-old brother Tom lost their grandma Catherine Tibbott to cancer, and are rallying people across Sussex to help raise money to prevent the charity from losing crucial funding.

Whether it’s a full spring clean or daring family to dress up in their finery to put out the bins, sponsored chores are just one of the ways people can show their support.

Their mum Helen, 36, lost her mum to pancreatic cancer in 2014, and knows first-hand just how important new breakthroughs and discoveries and treatments are.

As a senior manager in the Race for Life team at Cancer Research UK, she is deeply worried about the devastating long-term effects that the coronavirus

pandemic might have on the development of new cancer treatments.

She said: “Sadly my mum didn’t survive and didn’t get to meet Ella or Tom. But thanks to the treatment she had, she was able to survive for six months, long enough to know I was expecting a girl and that she would be called Ella Catherine.

“She got to see scans of Ella and feel her kick, and that meant the world to her.

“That’s why we need to do everything we can to ensure families can have more tomorrows.

“Charities like Cancer Research UK, and the research that they fund, will be hit hard by the current situation and it worries me to think about what this might mean for people affected by cancer in the years to come.

“We can all play a part, no matter how big or small, in helping to lessen the impact.

“I’m proud of the way Ella has embraced the fundraising challenge and I hope others will do what they can.

“Plus, with all the extra time we’re spending indoors, the house is extra messy so I’m grateful for the help.”

From virtual quizzes and live-streaming music nights to sponsored haircuts or head shaves, Cancer Research UK has a host of ideas to inspire people to fundraise at

home or they can simply organise their own activities.

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity was able to spend more than £34 million in the South East last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.

Lynn Daly, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Sussex, said: “We’re grateful to Ella for doing her bit to help the cause.

“Our supporters are completely redefining the meaning of ‘charity begins at home’.

“We’ve been humbled by how they are determined to carry on their fundraising efforts in all sorts of inventive ways.

“We hope our new fundraising pack will provide some added inspiration for those

who feel able to lend their support at this challenging time.

“There are suggestions ranging from dyeing beards in bright, bold colours and sponsored fitness challenges to sofa-diving - and hunting for lost coins down the back of settees.

“We remain tirelessly committed to making progress for people affected by cancer, but now more than ever, support from the public will be vital. We simply will not be able to continue funding our cutting-edge work without it.”

Cancer Research UK expects to see its fundraising income decline by up to 25 per cent in the next financial year, as a direct result of the COVID-19 coronavirus

pandemic.

Lynn added: “While many of us may feel our lives have been put on hold, cancer hasn’t stopped. Around 51,400 people are diagnosed with the disease every year in the South East, so we can’t afford to stand still.”

To get involved visit cruk.org/fundraise