Little Ladybirds Day Nursery raises over £500 for MD charity

A Stockton nursery has raised over £500 for a charity which supports families affected by Mitochondrial Disease after a little girl who had attended the nursery lost her battle with the incurable condition. Little Ladybirds Day Nursery organised an Easter egg raffle to raise money for Lily’s Foundation, which was founded in 2007. The charity was chosen as it helped four-year-old Daisy, who attended the nursery until she started pre-school, and supported her family from her diagnosis. Sadly, Daisy, from Ingleby Barwick, passed away in March whilst in Portugal making precious memories with her family. Claire Harrison-Jones, manager at Little Ladybirds Day Nursery, said: “We were all heartbroken to hear of Daisy’s passing. That little girl always had the biggest smile on her face and was a pleasure to have here. “Since being diagnosed her family had amazing support from Lily’s Foundation, which provided some comfort to them during what was the most difficult and heartbreaking time, so we really wanted to give something back and to raise awareness of mitochondrial disease. “The condition is incurable and often occurs in babies and young children, however sadly not a great deal is known about it as it is very rare and difficult to diagnose. “We decided to organise an Easter egg raffle, and have been completely blown away by all the donations we have received from parents, Tesco and One Stop Beckfields, who were all keen to do their bit. “Every penny we make from the raffle will be donated to Lily’s Foundation, and whilst it will be a drop in the ocean in terms of the money the charity needs to support families up and down the country who are affected by mitochondrial disease, we hope it will do some good in the fight against this awful condition.” Mitochondrial disease is a rare, complex and difficult-to-diagnose genetic disorder that affects people in very different ways. It can affect any organ at any age and there is currently no cure. Lily’s Foundation is the largest charitable funder of mitochondrial research in Europe and was founded by Liz Curtis in memory of her daughter Lily Merritt, who died aged eight months old after her diagnosis when she was just weeks old.

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