Bradley Lowery's legacy helps bring people together at Christmas fair fundraiser

Memories of Bradley Lowery's smiling face were in the minds of festive shoppers as they gave their support to the charity set up in his name.
Organisers of the Christmas fair for the Bradley Lowery Foundation, Clare Everitt and Brooke Mitchell. Picture by Tom Banks.Organisers of the Christmas fair for the Bradley Lowery Foundation, Clare Everitt and Brooke Mitchell. Picture by Tom Banks.
Organisers of the Christmas fair for the Bradley Lowery Foundation, Clare Everitt and Brooke Mitchell. Picture by Tom Banks.

A Christmas fair was held at the Corporation Sports and Social Club in Whitby Street, Hartlepool, today, bringing together a host of stallholders to offer gift ideas in the run-up to December 25.

It was hosted by the Bradley Lowery Foundation, with the cash raised to help its work to support ill children and their families.

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It was organised by Brooke Mitchell, the charity’s fundraising and family support worker, Lynn Murphy, its head of communications and fundraising, and Clare Everitt, one of the foundation’s champions, who travelled up from Leeds to help out.

Brooke said: “It went really well and was busy, but we don’t yet know how much has been raised, as we still need to count it all up.

“We’re already thinking about holding it again next year.

“We had about 30 stallholders, which was really good.

“We’ve also had a lot of nice comments from people saying they loved Bradley’s smile and all the nice things that he got to do and had lots of sales to support our work.

“All the money raised will be going to help the children we work with at the foundation.

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“We’re already looking to next year and making plans about what to do next.”

Stalls at the venue, which is also known as the Clippy Club, included bath bomb and wax melt sellers, Christmas decorations and Body Shop goods, while a raffle and tombola also offered visitors the chance to win.

Sunderland AFC fan Bradley, from Blackhall Colliery, was six when he died in July 2017.

He had already beaten neuroblastoma cancer after he was first diagnosed with the disease when he was just 18-months-old.

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Doctors found he had relapsed in July 2016, with the campaign to raise funds to get him specialist treatment sending his story around the world.

The foundation’s latest appeal has seen supporters fill shoe boxes up with Christmas gifts for people in homeless shelters and women’s refuges.

Last week it was announced the charity could be set to receive a plot of land in Scarborough, which would be used to create a holiday home for the families it works with.

A decision is due to be made by the North Yorkshire council this coming week.