This was our very first fundraising event, not long after Millis passed. My way of coping with the loss of Mills, was to be in ‘doing, rather than ‘being’ mode. The result was a wonderful day that was made possible by the support of friend from our school community. I was blown away by the speed at which everyone came together to make this happen and the result was £43k raised for the now defunct Kids Company.
Great Ormond Street - £160k
This one is close to my heart, because it’s where Milli was treated when she was first diagnosed in 2003 and also when she was diagnosed terminally ill in 2011. I owe them the precious years between. We direct friends and family to give to Gosh via Just Giving and part of our Make Life Sweeter and Happiness Book project donations were given to Gosh.
Rays Of Sunshine - £63k
Rays of Sunshine gave Milli an unforgettable trip to the theatre. The magical wishes they grant make for happier children when life can seem bleak, and also leave parents and siblings with lasting good memories of the child thats passed.
Spread Some Happiness - £24k
The ‘Spread Some Happiness’ fundraising initiative is so dear to my heart and I love that giving and receiving can create such joy. The seed of this idea was no-doubt influenced by the joy I felt when creating two books for Thames & Hudson.
I asked the question - What makes you happy and what do you do to make someone else happy? Everyone from the school head, caretaker, cooks, teachers and students answered in their own way. Some in the form of poems, others in pictures, mission statements and others in memories.
In asking the parents to purchase the hardback books for as little as £10 or as much as they wished to give, we not only raised £24,000 split over 3 schools, but I hope we were able to capture a heartfelt moment to be cherished for all time. The donations were spread over Gosh, Rays of Sunshine and couple of smaller charities. I loved this labour of love and if you’d like to create something similar in your school, I would be more than happy to help. Milli was a giggling beam of light and her mantra was ‘spread love and joy’, so let’s do it.
Harmony House - £5.5k
I first came across Harmony House in 2021 and since then it so gratifying to see how much this Delhi-based charity has grown. Started by Lucy Bruce, this charity gives Delhi’s slum children an opportunity to study, eat a nutritious meal, and be inspired to grow beyond their life circumstances. The school has grown from strength to strength and is now building a sports ground and dance studio to support those children who might not be academically bright but may instead have an affinity to other forms of learning. Milli was adopted from India and she could well have been one of these children. All children have the right to learn and grow.
Make Life Sweeter - £75k
Another wonderful way to fundraise, inspired by our gigge ball Mills. Naturally, Milli loved Halloween - dressing up and being handed sweets, no questions asked - what’s not to love?
When the children were young, we moved to an area of West London, that fortunately for us celebrated Halloween in a big way, so much so, there was a trophy for the best-dressed house. When Mills passed, I spoke to a neighbour about fundraising and we decided Halloween provided the perfect opportunity. In short, we would decorate our homes and offer an abundance of sweets and in exchange, parents would put money in our charity buckets. The event became known locally and further afield. Each year some 2,000 children descend on our streets and we raise thousands. One year we raised a whopping £14k through match funding. This project so far, has raised approx 75k divided between GOSH and our local charity The Avenues.
