A new charity based in Merseyside has been launched to make the wishes of seriously ill children come true.
Dreams for Children was set up in the memory of Catherine Strickland from Crosby, who passed away in July 2013 aged 12 after a two-year fight with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
Although only a month old, the Litherland charity is already making steps to grant ill children their wishes.
Charity organiser and Catherine’s aunt, Emma Strickland, told JMU Journalism: “The aim is to do a lot of fundraising and get corporate sponsorships. With the proceeds we plan to grant dreams for little children in the North West, who have got life threatening illnesses.”
Prior to Dreams for Children and the death of her niece, the 37-year-old started to make Catherine’s wishes come true. Before she died last summer, it was arranged for Catherine to go on holiday and then attend the wedding of her parents, Jenny and Steven, when she returned.
Miss Strickland said: “During her illness, I created some magical memories for her and her family. I sent them away on holiday to Gibraltar by doing fundraising in Gibraltar, as I was living there at the time. Then I came back with them and got her parents married.”
Emma went on to do voluntary work for the Honey Rose Foundation, which grants wishes for terminally ill adults. While there, she worked together with Jay Connolly to grant a wish to a lady called Jennifer who died recently after suffering from congenital liver failure. Emma and Jay got her two children presents for what would be Jennifer’s last Christmas.
Emma said: “I’ve always wanted to do something in Catherine’s memory, so Jay and I decided to set up the charity of our own and that’s where we came up with Dreams for Children. Since we started in December, it’s just going from strength to strength.”
Dreams for Children’s first fundraising event takes place on 21st March, hosted by Birkdale Dental Centre at Genting Casino in Southport at 7pm.