Mayor’s fund raised £15k
HALTON’S former mayor and mayoress were delighted to present two Halton charities with a share of the £15,047.46 raised during their year in office.
Cllrs John and Marjorie Bradshaw chose Widnes & Runcorn Cancer Support Group and Widnes Fellowship Centre for the 2018-19 mayor’s charity fund, and each has received £7,523.73 to help with their work in the community.
The grand total was a result of 12 months of fundraising, with numerous events and activities taking place throughout the year.
Nicola Donoghue, operations manager at Widnes & Runcorn Cancer Support Group, explained that the money will be used to progress the service for children and young people which the charity launched in 2017.
“We have a trained, experienced counsellor who goes into schools and works with young people when they have an adult in their life who has cancer.
“The work involves individual oneto-one sessions, where the young person has the time and space to explore how cancer has impacted them and how they can manage their feelings.
“The service was a pilot initially and, after the fantastic feedback from young people, schools and parents, we have continued to grow this service.
“The monies very kindly raised by the mayor’s charity will be used to further this work to enable more young people to access the support they need in the safe, familiar setting of school.
“We are very grateful to all who have worked so hard planning and organising the Mayor’s events and feel honoured to receive this in order to progress this valuable work.”
Sheila Walsh, chair of Widnes Fellowship Group, says: “We are most grateful to Marjorie and John for choosing our centre to benefit from their year in office.
“They worked very hard and it was a really fun year.
“The money will be of great benefit because we are a completely voluntary organisation.
“We are hoping to spend it on CCTV for the car park and a couple of other projects, such as buying some new furniture.”
The charity, which is 65 years old, provides social evenings and trips for around 30 people with special needs, both physical and learning.
The former mayor and mayoress thanked all those who supported them throughout the year.
Cllr John Bradshaw said: “It was an honour to represent the borough and support these two excellent charities – we are very pleased to have topped the £15,000 mark.
“We could not have enjoyed our year in office more and this was due to the efforts of everyone involved.
“We thank you all sincerely.”
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