​20 food hampers are donated to the Cambridge United Foundation who delivered the hampers to residents around the Abbey Ward. Cambridge Charity Fund Raisers would like to thank the Cambridge United Lottery & Tesco for partnering CCFR with the project.

Please see attached the photo of the donation of Tesco vouchers to the Abbey ward at Barnwell Community Hub.

Thanks to Cambridge United Lottery & Tesco for partnering Cambridge Charity Fund Raisers with this project.

STORY

As a family, we were blessed to have our beautiful Ellie for 18 years so we set out to honour her life by raising £18,000. We reached this target within 6 months so have increased our target to £50,000. Any funds raised will go towards research into Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) through Blood Cancer UK.
​
Ellie was diagnosed with AML in October 2020 which carries a less than 20% five year survival rate. Her treatment was incredibly brutal and even if her stem cell transplant had been successful, she would have been left with a lifetime of health problems. Although some types of Leukaemia currently carry survival rates of over 90%, this is not the case for AML and those diagnosed deserve to have hope for a happy and healthy future.

The first £16,000 we have raised was directed towards the VICTOR Clinical Trial for AML run by Dr Dillon who Ellie was under at Guy's Hospital. Ellie received this drug but sadly it didn't work for her, our hope is that this research will be able to predict what types of AML it will work for in the future.

We are now directing further funds raised towards a research project into AML by Dr Neil Rodrigues at Cardiff University. Dr Rodrigues and his team have identified a key molecule involved in the normal function of blood cells and have found that the levels of this molecule are lower than they should be in people who have AML. They think that by raising the levels of this molecule, they might be able to restore the normal functions of blood cells. Ultimately, this could provide people with AML with a new treatment option and improve the chance of survival for people with the disease.

Ellie raised over £20,000 for various charities throughout her treatment. We would like to use this fund to continue her incredible legacy and play our part in helping researchers find kinder and more effective treatments for AML. We hope that our fundraising will contribute towards the day when no one loses a loved one to this awful disease.

We know that nothing we can do will bring Ellie back or fix the heartache that we feel every single day but we know that she would want us to help fund research, in the hope that one day there will be a cure for everyone diagnosed with AML. 

In the lead up to Christmas, Abbey People helped provide hampers and food parcels to local residents. They were able to support 190 households and 487 individuals this Christmas.

They were able to do this because of the support of local individuals and companies in the area,

Cambridge Charity Fundraisers were one of those organisations who helped make it happen

To read more download the file below.

CCFR received a great deal of support from Tesco on Newmarket Road and I must say a special thank you to Julie Izzard The community Champion at Tesco Newmarket Road who was outstanding in helping with this Christmas project along with other CCFR projects.

Above Ian Darler , Nigel Browne , Nicky Shepard , Brian Thorby
​
15 family food & gift bags delivered to Barnwell community Centre ready for distribution to the families

We continue to work with a number of other community projects but it would not be possible without the support of so many other people.

Thanks to everybody for your support and for helping so many people at Christmas.

Ian Darler B.E.M
Cambridge Charity Fund Raisers 

Above, Paul Harrison, Sophie Barber, Ian Darler, A & E Sister with family members receiving the gift donations

Dear Ian, Paul and the rest of the team,

I am writing on behalf of the team at Addenbrookes Hospital, Paediatric Emergency department. The team and I wanted to say a massive, massive thank you for your support with donations this year. Thank you for also seeking support from wider networks such as Tesco, this is truly amazing, please pass our thanks on to them too and anyone else who donated. It is so appreciated and I wish you could be here to see the difference it makes.

When Children come into the emergency department it is often a very traumatic time for them, they will often undergo a lot of tests and procedures which can be very scary. Children will often spend many hours in the Emergency Department and sometimes will be admitted or go home. This can be very stressful for the whole family. So, as the Therapeutic Play Specialist it is my role to ensure they have positive hospital experiences, engage in play and fun activities and are awarded for their incredible bravery. It is donations like yours which make an incredible difference to the experience we can provide children in hospital, it puts a smile on the little ones faces despite the horrid times they have had, and it allows the nurses to bond with the child in a positive way despite the procedures they may have engaged in beforehand. It gives us all a reason to smile despite the extremely challenging times.
​
Thank you will never explain how truly grateful we are for your support and I can never explain in words the real difference it will make, but honestly, you’re going to make a lot of children very happy. I look forward to working with you in the future. 

See below the photo in the department and a letter received from Sophie Barber

Thank you again! Have an amazing Christmas and Happy New year,

Sophie Barber – Therapeutic Play Specialist, Paediatric Emergency Department, Addenbrookes Hospital
 
The above letter is exactly what CCFR has been about for the past 15 years, We have always tried to help change people’s lives’ for the better  and there is no better feeling than being able to help the children that find them requiring treatment at Addenbrookes.

We have agreed with Sophie Barber to continue supporting them during 2022 and would ask any shops, companies, businesses etc that have any unwanted soft toys, games , sports clothing etc to get in touch with us . We are happy to collect any items that can be donated and will obviously thank them on our website.

Thanks to everybody who has supported CCFR during 2021 and we wish everybody a Happy New Year.
Ian Darler B.E.M
​
CCFR