CHARITY SUPPORT HAS NOT STALLED FOR LILIAN

A Sunderland market stallholder has raised an amazing £14,000 for our Foundation by selling second hand goods.

Lilian Griffiths

With the support of fellow stallholders in Jacky White’s Market, Lilian Griffiths, from South Shields, raised the money for us over the last 12 years.

The popular second hand stall is kept stocked with donations from local people, who bring in books, DVDs, jigsaws and audio books for Lilian to sell again.

Lilian, who runs a clothing stall within the market, LG Fashions, says: “People are really thoughtful and bring in bagful’s of donations of things they no longer need.

“It means lots of items that might otherwise end up cluttering shelves or, worse, going to a landfill, are getting reused.

“There’s always someone at the stall looking to find themselves a bargain and help a very special regional charity, too.

“I give the stall a tidy up every night and one of the market team is always kind enough to open it up for me every morning. It’s a great team effort.”

Working within the NHS and in partnership with other leading charities and organisations, the innovative cancer treatment funded by our Foundation includes the clinical trials of new cancer drugs.

Lilian adds: “I think everyone’s affected by cancer and the trials of new drugs are really important to people in our region.

“I lost my brother, John Williams, to cancer, and also my friend Anne Ashcroft, so this is a charity that means a lot to me. We all want to see treatment moving forward.

“My next aim is to reach £15,000 raised and I’m really grateful to everyone in the market for supporting the stall so far.”

Patients with advanced cancer come from across the North East and Cumbria for treatment at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre, at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, in Newcastle.

Originally equipped by our Foundation, it serves a catchment area of 3.5m people regionally and is making a global impact against cancer.

We also fund posts for both a doctor and a nurse to specialise in clinical drug trials within the centre.

Sir Bobby’s son, Mark Robson, says: “My dad was very proud that his Foundation is directly helping patients across the whole of the region who are facing cancer. And that the drug trials at the Sir Bobby Centre provide a lifeline to people who have no more standard cancer treatment available to them.

“Fundraisers like Lilian mean we can keep on with that important work and we’re hugely grateful to her and everyone who has supported her fundraising efforts at the market.”

Jacky White’s is a traditional market, located within the Bridges Shopping Centre in Sunderland. It has a wide range of products and services and attracts shoppers from across the city.