LITTLE Ava Sutcliffe may only be five-years-old, but her fundraising efforts for her local children’s charity are huge!

The Beech Hill pupil ran the Family Mile race at this weekend’s Wigan 5k and raised £440 for Derian House Children’s Hospice.

Not only did she run the whole way round, she also achieved her personal best time of 12 minutes 13 seconds.

Dad Rob Sutcliffe, 42, said: “We’re very proud of Ava. She did brilliant and loved every minute of it.

“The idea to run for Derian House came after we visited their Winter Sparkle event last year. Ava decided she wanted to run with me and said she wanted to do it to raise money for

poorly children.”

Rob ran the 5k section of the race, then joined Ava for the mile-long family race.

He added: “Derian House is a charity that’s always stuck with me as I know that, although hopefully we will never need Derian’s services, it’s good to know it’s there if we ever did.

Ava started a Just Giving page with a goal of raising £75, which she smashed after proving to be a social media sensation with her adorable training videos.

You can still show your support to the pint-sized athlete by sponsoring her here: https://tinyurl.com/y5lvmpav

Chris Green MP has announced that he will be running this year’s Rivington Pike Half Marathon and the London Marathon in aid of Derian House Children’s Hospice.

This will be the third time that the MP has run the London Marathon, having raised over £1,000 for Fortalice last year.

Mr Green said: “During my recent visit to Derian House, I heard about the round-the-clock care the staff provide, ensuring every child and young person who requires their support makes the most of the time that they have.

“I’m pleased to announce that I will be running this year’s London Marathon in aid of Derian House Children’s Hospice, to help support the invaluable services that they provide for children and families across the North West.

“Every penny raised will really make a difference to Derian House’s work, so please do sponsor me if you can by visiting my fundraising page.”

Last year, the Bolton West and Atherton MP raised his concerns about the unfair difference in funding between adult’s and children’s hospices across England in the House of Commons.

Adult’s hospices receive 30 per cent of their funding from the NHS centrally and Clinical Commissioning Groups whereas children’s hospices receive much lower, receiving just 15 per cent of their funding from the NHS on average.

On welcoming the MP’s announcement, Caroline Taylor, Communications and Marketing Manager for Derian House said: “Our aim is to make sure that we help our young people and their

families to make precious memories, in an environment of fun, respect and high quality care.

“We’re thrilled Chris Green has chosen to raise money for us. His support will make a real difference to our children. We wish him the best of luck and will all be cheering him on all

the way!”

You can make a donation by visiting – https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ChrisGreenMP.

The Rivington Pike Half Marathon is taking place on 24^th March and the London Marathon on the 28^th April.

A BRAND new holiday lodge giving families of children with life-limiting conditions a chance to make precious memories, has been officially opened.

Derian House Children’s Hospice bought the lodge at Ribby Hall Holiday Village, in Wrea Green, to treat the families it cares for to valuable time together.

The lodge is the second plot on the holiday village owned by Derian, and means that almost 1,000 people a year can now benefit from a free week’s stay.

The Taleb family were the first to stay in the new lodge. For families like theirs, it is a lifeline.

Mum Jo Taleb, whose teenage daughter has a life-limiting illness which means she needs round-the-clock care, said: “Going on holiday is something everyone takes for granted until you’re in our position and you can’t do it. We need a hoist, a shower chair, a wet room, everything.

“Every night, we don’t know if we’re saying goodbye or goodnight. Derian is giving people the opportunity to live your life as a family and not sitting waiting for your child to die. For us to get time to just be ourselves and do our own thing is brilliant.”

The innovative “Derian on Holiday” project was the brainchild of Derian House Chief Executive David Robinson, who wanted to give families every opportunity to create cherished memories.

He said: “Many of our families simply couldn’t have a holiday before now because there was nowhere that catered for their needs. When they arrive they’re overwhelmed. We see tears and laughter and it’s actually overwhelming for us all too.

“We don’t know of any other hospices in the UK that can offer this service, and it’s only down to the generous donations of our supporters that we can do so.”

On Monday afternoon, the ribbon was cut to officially open the new lodge, with Derian on Holiday ambassador and Bolton Wanderers footballer Jason Lowe, on hand to help.

He said: “Holidays are where a lot of good memories are made. It’s where pictures are taken and you can look back on them and remember happy times. I’m sure these holiday lodges will benefit families for many years to come.”

Running costs of the new lodge have been funded for the first six months by Thomas Cook.

Gina Robertson, manager of Thomas Cook Leyland branch, said: “Children need a holiday and they get a lot from it. It’s important for development and Derian children shouldn’t miss out. We’re so happy to have been able to help.”

MORE than 25 celebrities have got out their paintbrushes to create unique works of art for Derian House.

Stars including Geri “Ginger Spice” Horner, Joanna Lumley, Jeremy Vine and Timmy Mallett have drawn and painted flowers to make up a birthday bouquet to mark the 25^th anniversary of Derian.

The flowers will be auctioned to raise money, and the artwork will be unveiled at a glamorous exhibition at Hepplestone Fine Art Gallery in Heskin on Friday, March 1. Everyone is invited to come along, to view the paintings and place a bid.

The flowers will then go on display at Derian’s new charity shop in Chorley town centre, and auctioned on eBay throughout the month of March.

Actor Helen Lederer, Grease star Didi Conn, adventurer Steve Backshall and Apprentice contestant Kayode Damali also put their creative talents to good use for the charity’s Flower Power campaign.

Seven-year-old Kayla, whose sister uses Derian’s services, has also created a flower as part of the project.

Fans will get the chance to own an exclusive piece of art created by their favourite star, along with a certificate of authenticity.

Take a look at the selection of pictures here.

Kevin Bedford, Fundraising Manager at Derian House, said: “We’ve not only been overwhelmed by the creativity and generosity of the celebrities who have got involved in our Flower Power campaign, but also by the sheer number of people who have been keen to help us out. It’s been absolutely fantastic.

“Many of our flowers aren’t just pretty pictures drawn by celebrities, but fantastic pieces of art in their own right. With every penny raised going towards the care of our children and young people, I’d urge everyone to bid generously!”

Everybody is invited to come along to the launch exhibition at Hepplestone Fine Art Gallery, Heskin Hall shopping village, Chorley, on Friday, 1 March from 5pm to 7.30pm.

Visit www.derianhouse.co.uk/flower-power

Here’s a full list of celebrities who have created flowers for Derian House Flower Power campaign:

Geri Horner

Joanna Lumley

Steve Backshall

Helen Lederer

Timmy Mallett

Ferne Corrigan

Kayode Damali

Jeremy Vine

Bolton Wanderers Football Club

Arabella Weir

Saara Alto and her Dancing On Ice partner Hamish Gaman

Didi Conn and her Dancing On Ice partner Lukasz Roszycki

Melody Thornton and her Dancing On Ice partner Alexander Demetriou

Mark Hanretty – Dancing on Ice professional

Curtis Johns from The Band Musical

Rob Beckett

Jack Catterall

Kiki DeVille

Helen Glover

Elizabeth Grant

Lucy Meacock

Judy Robbins

Molly Robbins

Ted Robbins

SHOPPERS in Chorley town centre were in for a surprise when a superhero came to town.

Captain America visited the new Derian House Children’s Hospice charity shop – which was officially opened last Monday (18 Feb) – and even picked up a few bargains while he was there!

The Avengers hero was joined by a Stormtrooper to greet kids and have photographs taken.

The pair were promoting Stars and Cars – a spectacular movie and TV-themed event to raise money for the Chorley-based children’s hospice, in which people can come and interact with their favourite movie replica vehicles and characters.

The event takes place at Bolton Arena in Horwich on April 14, 2019. For tickets visit www.starsandcarsevents.co.uk

PROFESSIONAL footballer Jason Lowe has today put pen to paper to announce his new position as ambassador for Derian House Children’s Hospice.

Leigh-born Jason, who plays midfield for Bolton Wanderers, is the latest signing for the charity.

Today he visited the hospice to meet the children and young people and officially kick-off his ambassadorship, which will see him using his platform to raise the profile of the charity which offers respite and end-of-life care to children from across the North West.

Jason will focus on the charity’s Derian on Holiday project, which in 2019 will give almost 1,000 people in its care a free holiday at Ribby Hall village to help them create memories to last a lifetime.

Dad-of-two Jason, said: “I was one of a group of players who visited Derian just before Christmas to deliver some presents to bring a smile to the children’s faces. Visiting a place like Derian puts your own life into perspective and I felt honoured to be asked to be an ambassador.

“I’ll be focussing on the Derian on Holiday project because as a family man myself I know that holidays are so important. It’s where a lot of special memories are made and during times when it’s not going so great you can look back at holidays and they perk you up a little bit.”

The league-leading project is the only one of its this kind in the UK and helps families enjoy time away together from the stresses and strains of everyday life, to just be a family.

David Robinson, Chief Executive of the hospice said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have Jason on board. Not only does his high profile as a professional footballer mean we can tell more people about our good work, as a local lad he really cares about making a difference here in his community.”

Jason Lowe came up through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers. The former England under-21 international joined Bolton Wanderers in 2018.

Alongside his work on the field, he is also instrumental off the pitch supporting the club on various community appearances.

Local business, HFE backs its Finance Director, Louise Ormrod to complete the Manchester Marathon to raise valuable funds for Derian House.

The company has pledged to match fund every penny Louise raises, effectively doubling her fund-raising efforts.

Buckshaw Village-based HFE, which is a training provider to the health, fitness and wellbeing sector deliver fitness instructor and personal trainer courses across the UK. They qualify over 3,000 exercise professionals every year across a variety of qualifications, including personal training, Pilates, yoga, G.P Referral and sports massage.

Louise has decided to run the marathon to support Derian House, a cause that is extremely close to her heart. However, her motivations are not entirely altruistic because she is actually using the marathon as a warm-up event to help her prepare for the Bolton Ironman which takes place in July.

As if running the marathon isn’t enough, along with several members of the Rivington Triathlon Club, she’ll be cycling from Chorley to and from the marathon.

Lee Cain, Managing Director of HFE Lee Cain praised Louise for her commitment, training and fundraising ambitions. “We’re delighted that she is running the marathon for such a great cause and we’re equally pleased that we are all able to help her and others in the process. It’s so important for staff to feel that their hard work makes a difference, not just within the business but also outside of the company. This is a win-win solution in which the whole team to get behind Louise and the cause to show their support”.

Louise is no stranger to extreme endurance events. She’s completed multiple half and full marathons and in June 2016 she ran 100 km continuously across the Yorkshire moors and placed 6th, passing the finish line in just 15 hours.

When talking about Louise and her commitment to training, Lee went on to say “she’s one of the few people in the business without a fitness-based qualification and yet she’s fitter than anyone. In fact, she’s probably fitter than all of us put together”.

Louise’s gruelling training regime includes around 14 hours of exercise per week. She performs around 8-9 hours of cycling, 2-3 hours of running and around 3 and half hours swimming. By the time she’s ready for Ironman, this will increase to somewhere between 18-20 hours per week.

Louise is overjoyed with the support that she has received from friends, family, co-workers and the business. Without their support she said “it wouldn’t be possible for me to run this marathon for such a worthy cause.

After visiting Derian House this month, Lee went on to say that he was “amazed at the broad range of services offered at the hospice. It has completely changed my perception of what a children’s hospice is and the type of things the staff and volunteers would be doing. It’s so inspiring to see it with your own eyes. I cannot praise everyone at Derian House enough”.