£30,525 raised!
1,194 lovely givers
15,753 households leafleted
239 posters placed (Target: 1,000)
Kirsty is proud to announce…
Crochet
for Cancer!
My name is Kirsty. I am eleven years old. I live in Tunbridge Wells and I have a brain tumour. His name is Terry. I’m having chemotherapy to make him smaller. But don’t worry about me – I’m going to be fine!
Lots of other children get diagnosed with cancer, and need help. I’m raising money for Children with Cancer UK by crocheting 70 bunting triangles – one for each week of my chemotherapy.
If you think this is a good idea and you'd like to help me, there are TWO ways we can raise oodles of money!
Donate!
This is the easiest thing you can do. So far I've raised loads but I want to raise more. Much, much more!
If you can spare anything, I'd be so grateful. You can donate on my JustGiving page.
Kirsty's 1,000 Poster Push!
My target is to get a campaign poster on 1,000 noticeboards – at work, GP surgeries, shops, schools and churches.
I want everyone to know about my fundraising. The easiest way to do that? Put up a poster!
Kirsty's Map of Help
Here are all the places that people have put up posters:
And here's how you can do the same!
download, print, stick
Download the poster (A4 or A5 PDF) or leaflets. Print at home (or work!). Stick it up somewhere!
Get on the map
Now let me know where you've put your poster(s) so Dad can update the map!
Could you help by leafleting your road? Learn how.
Newsflash!
Mat writes: the word is spreading about Kirsty!
Highlights:
• An uplifting and joyful visit from Davina McCall, who instructs you to donate!
• Coverage in The Sun, Star, Mail, Mirror, Express, Telegraph…
• A great write-up on BBC News
• Pieces on BBC Radio Kent and BBC South East, with a dayglo studio design to make your eyes bleed
• The best write-up by Jenny Seymour at The Courier (PDF).
She is so confident and professional in telling her story, we couldn't be prouder.
Other stuff
Got another idea? Send it here.
(Read why we're encouraging everyone to put up posters, and other FAQs.
Follow Kirsty on Facebook or Instagram.
About me
Last November, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. I had an operation to remove some of it – we call him Terry! I was in hospital for two weeks, and then began 70 weeks of chemotherapy.
This summer, my mum and dad are cycling from London to Brighton to raise money for Children with Cancer UK. I wanted to raise money too. I taught myself to crochet just before I went into hospital and I've been doing it ever since! So I decided to crochet 70 bunting triangles, one for each week of my chemo.
How much money would I like to raise?
As much as possible!
What will I do to make it happen?
Anything it takes!
Children with Cancer UK
I chose this charity because they're doing brilliant things to help children like me.
For example, they provide Beads of Courage: you can see some of mine in the picture. Every time I go for treatment, I get a different coloured bead for everything that happens: injections, scans, clinic sessions and loads more.
They are also funding lots of research into brain tumours and how to treat them.
My street team!
I'd like to raise piles of money for Children with Cancer UK, but I can't do it all on my own! Happily, lots of people want to help by delivering leaflets to their neighbours and putting up posters. With every action, the total gets higher. Could you help too?
big thanks
There are hundreds of people who are making my campaign possible and helping me with my cancer. But I wish an extra special thank you to:
Helen, Lizzie, Susan and Erin
Wells Belles Women's Institute
Anna and the team at BBC Kent Radio
Libertas
David Cummings
Even Flow
AV Trinity
AXA Health team
Search Press Ltd
Hopwood Gardens
This website is our best-effort attempt to raise money for Children with Cancer UK, and is not official. Any data collected from you will only be used as described and to help Kirsty raise money. All donations go to the charity via JustGiving. Our Privacy Policy For any queries, please use the contact form.
FAQs
(Written by Mat, Kirsty's Dad.)
who gets the money?
Children with Cancer UK will get every penny, excluding any JustGiving fees. It is sent to them weekly. No donations are paid to us, and we're doing this for free.
why all the paper stuff?
"Everyone is on social media these days: why not use that?"
That's what I thought too. I shared Kirsty's campaign every way I knew how. But then I went 'old school', posting leaflets in my neighbourhood. The donations were higher, and people got in touch to offer their time to post more. Not everyone can donate, but some people can leaflet while they walk the dog. And nearly every village, office and school has a noticeboard!
how did this start?
Here's a brief version of a long story.
Kirsty was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2024. She was admitted immediately to Kings College Hospital where they operated; the tumour (named Terry) is benign, but can't be removed. It was pressing on her optic nerves: she was losing her eyesight, and memory.
After leaving hospital she began chemotherapy – seventy weekly sessions. We've seen some early and encouraging signs: her vision has largely recovered, and her memory too. Chemo isn't pretty, but she's coping well and back to school. Control and stability is the target.
Living in the future isn't healthy: that way anxiety lies. Children don't do that (much), so we're trying to be more eleven year old! One way we can focus on the everyday is to raise money. Together with Kate – Kirsty's Mum – I'm cycling London to Brighton in aid of Children with Cancer UK. You can sponsor us too, if you'd be so kind, but the spotlight is firmly on Kirsty!
I want to help!
Amazing people have helped me to get leaflets through 15,000 letterboxes so far. If you could leaflet your road, download the PDF (2 per A4 sheet), and then use the form below to tell me where you've done so I can update the map.
You can also use this form to tell me any other ways you could help. Thanks!