At Parklife we love it when you put pen to paper to tell us about the wonderful work you do for charity. And it’s even more inspiring when it’s for a cause that’s so close to your heart. That’s exactly why we found Kirsty Price’s story so touching…
Kirsty and her mum Janet have been budgeting for Christmas with Park for four years now. But during that time, they have experienced their share of heartache.
Last year, Kirsty’s great aunt Joan died after a two-year battle with cancer. But throughout Joan’s illness, her tight-knit family from Halifax in West Yorkshire became stronger than ever.
Kirsty said: “Joan was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June 2011. She had to undergo weekly chemotherapy sessions and lost her hair which was very traumatic for her and for our whole family. So one year into her cancer battle, we decided as a family that we would start raising money for cancer charities.”
Kirsty wanted to do something to help other families dealing with cancer and so with the help of other relatives, she set up Team Joan.
“Alongside my mum Janet and my second cousins Andrea and Julie we shaved our heads,” said Kirsty. “This raised over £2000 and we even donated our hair to create wigs for children with cancer. Since then we have raised lots of money for Cancer Research and for Overgate Hospice (our local hospice).
“Our family likes to support fundraising events organised by t
he hospice, including their annual midnight walk, over a 6 or 13 mile course. We organise our own events too – we held a charity ball last September which was a big success and raised thousands of pounds.”
Although Joan passed away last year, Kirsty and her family are dedicated to raising money in her memory and have even set up a fundraising webpage.
Kirsty added: “As a family we have gone through some horrible times but raising money has helped us cope and made us even closer. I would encourage anyone who is thinking of doing charity work to go for it. Just raising a small amount can make a huge difference, especially to local charities.”
Want to donate? Simply visit www.justgiving.co.uk/teams/joan
