A local family’s charity campaign in memory of their much loved daughter Mia has received a £2,000 donation from the Churchill Foundation, helping to raise vital funds for Brain Tumour Research.
In November 2020 at just 6 years of age Mia Hankins was suddenly diagnosed with a brain tumour, and despite the best efforts of the amazing staff at Southampton Hospital she tragically passed away just 10 days later.
Since then Mia’s family and friends have set up Mia’s Pegasus Fund, a Fundraising Group under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research and taken on a series of events and challenges to honour her memory and raise money to help others combat this terrible disease. The ‘Miles for Mia’ fundraising has included a 3 Peaks Challenge, a motorcycle convoy, various running and cycling events, cake sales and more, raising over £20,000 in total so far.
You can find out more about Miles for Mia and make a donation here: https://www.justgiving.com/team/MilesforMiaHankins
The campaign was highlighted to the Churchill Foundation by Mia’s aunty Laura Hankins who worked for the Careline Support arm of Churchill Retirement Living. The Foundation enables Colleagues from across the Churchill Group to nominate causes close to their heart for a one-off grant of up to £2,000.
Laura said: “We would like to say a big thank you to the Churchill Foundation for this generous donation towards our fundraising. We have more challenges planned for next year, including an epic Land’s End to John o’ Groats cycle ride. Support like this means a lot so that we can keep honouring Mia’s memory.”
Churchill Foundation’s Director Emma McCarthy added: “I’m delighted to be able to award this donation to Brain Tumour Research on behalf of Miles For Mia. We believe strongly in giving something back to charities that mean a lot to our Colleagues, and we were all very moved and inspired by Laura and her family’s incredible fundraising efforts in Mia’s memory. They are helping to make a real difference for others who may find themselves in this terrible situation, and we’re proud to give them our support.”
Melanie Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We are very grateful to the Churchill Foundation for their generous donation. Brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age. In fact, they kill more children and adults under the ago of 40 than any other cancer., yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. Mia’s tragic story spurs us on to focus even more to find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure for brain tumours.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is calling for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.