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SISTERS ’ SPONSORED SILENCE RAISES £ 655 FOR MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT
Two chatty sisters from the Wirral have managed to stay ‘ shtum ’ for 24 hours and raise £ 655 to help people living with cancer .
Bethan Leary , 9 , and her sister , Hannah , 8 , who live in Irby , staged the sponsored silence for Macmillan Cancer Support in honour of their Uncle Martin , who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2011 , aged just 29 .
The gabby girls managed to stay quiet – by just communicating through sign language and written notes - to smash their initial £ 200 target to so far raise £ 655 for Macmillan Cancer Support .
However , the sisters hope their first ever fundraiser makes even more money for the cancer charity and are already planning their next challenge for Macmillan .
Mum Tanya explains : “ We know far too many people whose lives have been touched by cancer , but particularly my husband ’ s brother – the girl ’ s Uncle Martin . They are really close to their uncle , and they have so much fun together , but because of the pandemic they ’ ve not been able to see him so much . So , they decided they wanted to do something to show him how special he is , but whilst also helping others .
“ One of their friends from school , and Brownies , had done a sponsored silence for a local children ’ s hospice and we said how fantastic that was and that Bethan and
Hannah could never do that , but they said , ‘ yes we can ’. So , they wanted to prove us wrong – and they did !”
The girls , who both attend Irby Primary School , were also encouraged by their Brown Owl at the 2nd Irby Brownies , Linda Churchill , to try and earn their charity badge during lockdown . As a result , the siblings ’ sponsored silence for Uncle Martin , who lives in Woking and is still undergoing treatment but is doing ‘ well ’, was sorted and successfully completed .
Tanya added : “ Keeping quiet is super tricky for Bethan and Hannah , but they wanted to do something hard to show how much they care . We are all so very proud of them for raising awareness , and such a fantastic amount for Macmillan , which will help make a difference to people living with cancer .”
And the girls , along with mum and dad , Adam , and Uncle Martin , are now hoping to take part in the Macmillan Mighty Hike along the Thames Path in July – Covid permitting – to raise more funds for Macmillan Cancer Support .
To support the sister ’ s fundraising efforts go to https :// www . justgiving . com / fundraising / Learyssshhh
Donations like this can help Macmillan fund services like its Support Line , on 0808 808 00 00 , which is operated by trained staff , seven days a week from 8am until 8pm . wirrallife . com 13