A MUM from Evesham who has spent two decades fundraising for Birmingham Children’s Hospital after her daughter received life-saving care has run yet another successful event.
A Christmas craft fair organised by Mandy Edwards in November at Leedons Park, Broadway made £1,938 on the day from selling cards, crafts and refreshments.
Further fundraising activities from craft events, plant sales and donations during 2024 means that she is on target to hand over £1,500 each to the world-renowned medical establishment along with Cotswold Riding for the Disabled.
Mandy’s helpers at the craft fair. s
Mandy’s daughter Bethan was born in 2004 with a serious heart condition which meant at three days old she underwent open-heart surgery at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and spent the first four months in hospital.
Called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the condition is incurable and means that only one side of her heart works. Until surgeons developed a three-stage surgical technique that can prolong life, the prognosis was very poor.
Bethan, who has survived six cardiac arrests, contracted sepsis twice and diagnosed with Turner syndrome is now 20, and has taken up horse riding. Her mum told the Observer that she was motivated to start fundraising because the machine that saved her daughter’s life cost £1,000 to turn on.
She said: “Over the last 20 years, we have fundraised for Birmingham Children’s Hospital as she has received life-saving care from them throughout her young life.
“She enjoys horse riding at Cotswold RDA, so helping these two charities thrive continues to be our aim.
“I can’t thank enough all my ‘Mandy’s Little Helpers’ and four generations of my family who got involved to make the event such a success.”
Mandy’s fundraising efforts over the years have totalled more than £31,000. Visit bethan.co.uk for more information about Bethan’s story.
