The family and friends of a little girl who passed away at ten years old are celebrating raising £33,000 for Crawford House.
Smile for Miley was launched by the friends and family of Miley Todd to keep her memory alive after she sadly passed away in 2018. The Sick Children’s Trust gave Miley’s parents, Dom and Lesley, from Allonby, a place to stay at Crawford House when their daughter suddenly became seriously ill and was rushed to Newcastle’s Royal Vitoria Infirmary (RVI). Ever since, they have been busy raising awareness and vital funds for Crawford House to help keep other families by their child’s hospital bedside. Miley’s sister, Sam, who heads up Smile for Miley, said:
“We really wanted to do something to say thank you to The Sick Children’s Trust as Crawford House meant my parents could be with Miley whenever they wanted. It was also somewhere they could rest, shower, change and talk to other families. Looking back on everything we have achieved for Miley, it spurs us on to do more.
“Crawford House will always have a special place in my heart because of what it did for my parents. Even though they only spent a short time in there compared to the other families at the time, it really did help being close to Miley, being able to contact the ward from Crawford House and not worry about finding a hotel nearby.”
This year, Crawford House is celebrating 25 years of keeping families together by their child’s hospital bedside. Opened in 1996, The Sick Children’s Trust ‘Home from Home’ has supported over 12,000 families, like The Todds, giving them a place to stay when their child is in hospital. Sam continued:
“It’s amazing that this lovely charity has been helping families for 25 years, I know just how much difference it will have made to every single one of them too. These last 18 months have been tough for all charities and all I hope is that it’s a better year for fundraising because the difference having a place to stay is incredible.”
It costs the charity £30 to support a family for one night, and over the years it is thanks to wonderful supporters like Smile for Miley that Crawford House has become a ‘Home from Home’ to thousands of families. The group are continuing to fundraise through various activities including sponsored walks and events, and now they host their very own Smile for Miley Half Marathon which will take place on Sunday 12 September. Alexia Addis, Community Fundraising Officer, said:
“The determination of Smile for Miley is incredibly inspiring. It’s amazing to see how much they have achieved over the last couple of years and how much they have grown.
“Smile for Miley never give up. They are always looking for new ways to fundraise and involve the community to keep Miley’s memory alive. Even throughout the pandemic they raised an incredible £10,000 for Crawford House which helped us to keep our doors open to families with children in hospital.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to them and everyone who has supported their activities. We are so grateful for their support.”
