Join the Molly Olly Team at the Warwick Half Marathon to help children with life-threatening and terminal illnesses and conditions!
Molly Ollys is based in Warwick and is planning on painting the town pink for the event! Put on your running shoes and join the team to run round the iconic Warwick Castle and the surrounding area and be part of the sea of pink shirts!
Who we are and what we do
Molly Ollys supports UK children from birth to 18 years in age who have life-threatening illnesses, by providing wishes for emotional or practical support, and by donating our therapeutic toy lion Olly The Brave and his story books about Olly’s experiences including diagnosis and treatment to children directly and to hospitals. We also carry out bespoke projects with the NHS, such as providing funding to increase the number of paediatric palliative care consultants at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and in the community, for the West Midlands and Warwickshire.
Our wishes programme provides gifts, equipment or an experience to help the child cope through the dark days of serious illness. Wishes can be for anything and everything from medical aids and equipment, toys, bedroom makeovers, outside play equipment, days out, shopping vouchers, electronic devices, arts and crafts, funds to help with transport costs etc. Each wish is individual to the child, and our aim is that the wishes help these children through extremely challenging circumstances and provide special memories for those around them.
We are honoured to have been working with Birmingham Children’s Hospital for a number of years, and are proud to have funded the first consultant in paediatric palliative medicine at the Hospital for three years to prove the value of the post. The post provides expertise and support in both the hospital and the community, avoiding the need for local nursing staff to refer to London-based experts and enabling parents and families to have face to face discussions and receive the support they need to help make the most appropriate decisions about their child’s care and quality of life even where the timescale is limited. Currently we are funding the training of two new paediatric palliative care consultants to increase this expertise in the region.
Why we need your help
Over the last year, we have received over 20% more wish applications than in the previous year as the number of children diagnosed increases, and more families need support because of the economic conditions. This year we are expecting to provide over 600 wishes. We receive no government or council funding and are dependent on the goodwill of the public for our fundraising. Wishes have an average value of £500 each, and the increase in numbers means that we need to raise an additional £50,000 just to cover the extra wishes requested. Approximately 10 children per day in the UK are diagnosed with cancer giving 3,755 new cases each year (2021 data), and more being told that they have a different life-threatening illness or condition, there are many children and families without support during extremely challenging times. We hope you can help us to do something to alleviate some of their suffering and put a smile on their faces.
What you’ll receive as a participant
As a participant, you will receive a free running place*, a Molly Ollys running T shirt, running guide and fundraising guide, support from our Team, and the satisfaction of helping to raise funds for children with life-threatening and terminal illnesses and conditions. Please help us turn Warwick pink!!
*(first 50 entrants)
