Heartfelt messages of support for Bradley’s mum in charity row
MESSAGES FLOOD IN TO SUPPORT GEMMA LOWERY AFTER ATTEMPT TO ‘DISCREDIT’ HELP GIVEN TO OTHERS
‘When I decided to set up a charity and gift well over £1million to help others, I never once thought I would be made to feel like I was doing something wrong’
“It really upset me and I couldn’t stop crying all day” GEMMA LOWERY
‘Do other charities get so muchstick for trying to do good?’ LYNN MURPHY
Charity founder Gemma Lowery has pledged to carry on supporting children and their families through fundraising in memory of her own little fighter after facing criticism from online trolls.
Heartfelt messages of support have been shared with the Bradley Lowery Foundation.
Members of the public leapt to the defence of the charity when, in a lengthy Facebook post, it revealed that others have been criticising its work and aiming to “discredit” the support they have given to families since the death of Bradley Lowery in July last year.
Gemma said the trolling left her considering whether to carry on with the foundation, but the support from people has since made her more determined.
In a post on the foundation’s Facebook page she said the comment ‘really upset me and I couldn’t stop crying all day’.
She added: “My emotional state was not in a good place and to be honest I’m still not. I was at the point last night where I was going to walk away from it all.
“When I decided to set up a charity and gift well over one million pounds to help others I never once thought I would be made to feel like I was doing something wrong.
“The really sad thing is I’ve had messages off a lot of other charities that are getting the same abuse. This is so sad people feel the need to put people down in this way.
“When a charity turns over one million pounds they have to have an audit, this is happening next week and I honestly can’t wait until this is published, maybe then I will be left alone.
“The amount of supporting messages and comments is what is making me more determined now.”
It came after Bradley Lowery Foundation co-founder Lynn Murphy took to Facebook over trolls “starting rumours” about the charity’s work and aims.
The organisation was set up in honour of six-year-old Bradley, who lost his fight with terminal neuroblastoma cancer in July 2017.
Bradley’s family and friends launched the foundation following his death, with the aim of offering support, advice and encouragement to families undertaking their own fundraising campaigns for children’s medical treatment and other equipment.
Lynn Murphy, co-founder of the charity, posted on the Bradley Lowery Foundation Facebook page, because “all the hard work we do to try and support families is coming into question. AGAIN”.
In the lengthy post, Lynn, a family friend, explained how and why the foundation was set up, and the work it has undertaken since its start.
She also praised Gemma for the work she does in supporting other families going through a difficult time.
She said: “Let me get one thing straight to anyone reading this, losing a child is the worst possible pain anyone can ever go through, no one and I mean no one, is living a life of luxury!
“Each day for Gemma, Carl and Kieran is struggle, but what does Gemma do, she gets up and helps support other families in the hope they never have to feel the pain her family are going through. I am sick and tired of people thinking ‘oh she’s on the telly, what a life’ are you really jealous of a mam who had to cremate her child?
“We do not go out seeking children to help, families come to us and ask, not everyone wants or needs to fundraise, and only when they approach us, do we offer support.”
Lynn’s post also touched on online rumours circulating on social media trying to “discredit” the foundation’s work – and urged followers of the page and the charity’s work to put any questions they have to them directly.
She also confirmed that the charity is in the process of completing its annual audit, after which accounts will be published in full.
It is estimated that about £1.4million was raised in Bradley’s name and that this money was gifted into the foundation by Gemma and Carl, Lynn added.
She continued: “People with common sense will know, we are regulated by the charity commission and everything we say/do is monitored for that very reason, we thought all this gossip would stop, but clearly people are still hell bent on putting people down.
“Do other charities get this much stick for trying to do good?”
Since its launch in 2017, the charity has helped raise awareness for a number of children and their families who are fundraising for support. Among them is Alfie Smith, from Hartlepool, who has cerebral palsy and needed to raise thousands for surgery.
The foundation also supported little Chloe Gray, from Sunderland, who is searching for a matching blood stem cell donor.
Earlier this year, Gemma took part in a charity skydive to mark what should have been Bradley’s seventh birthday.
Together with Rachael Calvert, girlfriend of former Sunderland AFC striker Jermain Defoe, she raised more than £6,700.
Rachael took part in a separate skydive in Dubai.
In October, the foundation will host a special Halloween party in Bradley’s home village of Blackhall, with all funds raised going towards The Bradley Lowery Legacy Project, which aims to create a new play area built within Blackhall Colliery Primary School.