Alyson and Neil Clark were recently able to present East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) with a cheque for £39,105 after they captivated minds across the region by driving a tractor and candy pink trailer 990 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats.
They thought up the epic challenge as a way to pay tribute to their beloved daughter Mikayla.
Also known as Little Miss Giggles, a name given to her by the Manea Pre-School she attended, Mikayla was diagnosed with a brain stem tumour a few days after her fourth birthday. Palliative treatment saw her condition improve enough for family to enjoy a treasured six months - periods of which were spent at EACH’s hospice in Milton – before she died on 12 April.
Alyson and Neil took on the tractor ride in November and donations flooded in, with the fundraising total almost doubling when Manea agricultural engineering firm FJS Services held a £250-a-ticket raffle. Further donations since the cheque presentation mean the final amount actually stands at an incredible £41,167.64.
EACH has now shared the Clark family story in the form of an emotion-filled photo montage, which is set to Rule The World by Take That and can be viewed here.
Alyson said: “We’ll always be truly thankful to EACH. They made the hardest journey that little bit easier to bear. Even though losing Mikayla has brought us great sadness, in her name we have turned this hardest journey into something so positive and by sharing our family's story you can see why having support from EACH is vital for so many families.”
EACH needs £5,300 a day to run its services across Cambridgeshire and Alyson will continue supporting the cause at its Ely Colour Dash on 12 August.
The five-kilometre (3.1-mile) fun run, at Kings Ely between 11am and 1pm, will see participants showered with clouds of coloured powder paint.
Ely is the venue for one of nine Colour Dashes being held by EACH this year. For more details and to sign up for the series go to www.each.org.uk/colour-dashes.
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