A MUCH-LOVED charity is celebrating an early Christmas gift after it scooped the jackpot thanks to the National Lottery. The Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation, based in Colchester’s West Bergholt, was named as one of the lucky charities set to receive a huge £10,000 from the National Lottery Fund.
The grant means the Foundation could help more than 20 young people with cancer alone this Christmas.
Nikki Bowdidge, CEO and Founder, said: “It really couldn’t have come at a better time. I still don’t think I can quite believe it now. We applied to the National Lottery earlier this year not knowing whether we would be successful or not. To open that letter and find out we had not only been chosen but been given such a huge amount is just magical. Of course, I rang everyone I knew to tell them. It’s the best Christmas present the Foundation has ever been given. Father Christmas really has come early.”
Launched in 1994, National Lottery players have helped to raise £45billion for good causes across the UK, from much-needed charities and youth groups to supporting Olympic and Paralympic champions. Last year alone it raised £1,887.5 million for National Lottery projects across the country. The Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation supports three vital areas; funding research into treatment for children’s cancers, financing young adult spaces in hospitals, and helping youngsters with cancer with personal grants. These could be to pay for travel to and from essential hospital appointments, keeping the electricity on and even making sure there is food on the table.
Nikki added: “Now we’ve got the gift, the Foundation’s elves are hard at work delivering that magic to youngsters up and down the country to make sure they have what they need this Christmas. It’s the best Christmas present the Foundation has ever been given. Father Christmas really has come early. If you buy a National Lottery ticket, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You will never know what a chance like this means to a young person with cancer.”
If you are able to help the Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation at this time of year please look here
