NI mum Niamh on how Cancer Fund for Children has helped her family so much after her cancer diagnosis

Niamh Clarke from Castlewellan says she’ll never forget how the charity is helping her young family.

“I will never forget the day I was told I had cancer. I’m a single parent of three children and my first thought was - ‘am I going to die, and who will look after my children? I am all they have’. “Cancer Fund for Children helped me in so many ways, from calling to my house for a chat, giving me lots of helpful information, and to helping me talk to my children about cancer, while being so kind to them.

“We were invited to Daisy Lodge at Easter and it was a weekend I will never forget. I felt a sense of calm come over me.

"We played games, we laughed and we ate amazing food. We met other families and shared stories and I am still friends with them.

Next Friday, September 1, marks the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which Cancer Fund for Children will kick off with a community coffee morning hosted by over 90 community supermarkets in Northern Ireland.

Niamh said: “It is so important that people raise money to support places like Daisy Lodge and the Community Coffee Morning is a great way to do this.

"We will never ever forget what Cancer Fund for Children has done and are still doing to help us as a family.”

A host of retail teams from across Northern Ireland are helping kick off Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with Cancer Fund for Children at the Eurospar and Vivoxtra Community Coffee Morning next month.

The annual event, which is supported by Barista Bar Coffee and Kingsmill, will see over 90 community supermarkets across the weekend of the September 8 -10 hold a coffee morning in aid of their charity partner, Cancer Fund for Children.

While Cancer Fund for Children fundraise all year round, a special focus is placed on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

This year the charity aims to grow awareness of childhood cancer, grow connections, collaborations and partnerships, and to grow their support services for hundreds of children and families living with cancer across Northern Ireland,

Phil Alexander, ceo at Cancer Fund for Children said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Henderson Group for their invaluable support.

"The Eurospar and Vivoxtra Community Coffee mornings go from strength to strength every year and they are one of the highlights in our charity’s fundraising calendar.

"The coffee mornings bring local communities together whilst raising vital funds to help hundreds of families, ensuring they feel supported, connected and better able to cope with the emotional impact of cancer.”

Bronagh Luke, head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group, which owns Eurospar and Vivoxtra in Northern Ireland added: “We are so proud to have raised over £1.6 million for Cancer Fund for Children since our partnership began 12 years ago, and it is an honour to host the kick off events for September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month through our Coffee Morning.

“We have over 90 engaged Eurospar and Vivoxtra supermarkets in Northern Ireland whose teams have dedicated their time and energy into initiatives like the Community Coffee Morning, and made them a success for our charity partners and the many families they help throughout the year.

Shoppers can visit any Eurospar or Vivoxtra store throughout the weekend, including flagship stores, Creighton’s Eurospar Markethill, Swift’s Eurospar Lisnaskea, Smyth’s Eurospar Ballymoney, Mulgrew’s Eurospar Carryduff, Lynch’s Eurospar Skeoge, Kelly’s Vivoxtra Castledawson and Mulkerns Eurospar Newry, who are all hosting fundraising events on Friday September 8 and Saturday, September 9.

For all the details on how stores are getting involved and to donate, visit eurosparni.co.uk/community/cancer-fund-for-children.