Birstall BAGs, a Leicestershire cancer awareness charity, has donated £5,000 to Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People to fund support groups for families facing the challenges of caring for a child or young person with serious and terminal illnesses.

The hospice will use the funds raised by Birstall BAGs’ supporters to cover resource costs for a variety of groups including monthly Parent Coffee Mornings, Parents and Carers Groups, Young People’s Support Groups, Sibling Support, Dads and Male Carers, Cultural Mums, Bereaved Parents and many more.

Gary Farnfield, Community Fundraiser at Rainbows, said: “We are so grateful to Birstall BAGs for choosing to support Rainbows. The donation will make a huge difference to the families who rely on Rainbows.

“Every year we support around 400 babies, children and young people and their families and many of them use our specialist support groups, which are funded from money raised and donated by supporters. This donation means that we can not only continue to provide these services, but also use current funds in other areas of the hospice.

“It’s important that we continue to provide these services. By having access to the Rainbows Support Groups, they will get the support they need to face their daily challenges through both specialist support and the chance to share experiences with those facing similar challenges.”

Emma Shaw, Trustee at Birstall BAGs, said: “We are delighted to be able to donate to Rainbows so it can continue its work to provide support to families and children that need it. We would like to thank our donors and supporters for their efforts in fundraising for such a vital service at the hospice.”

Birstall BAGs operates in and around Birstall and Leicestershire and seeks to bring people together to raise funds to support cancer services used by the local community. The charity also takes every opportunity to raise the profile of cancer, particularly with regard to the signs and symptoms, recognising that early diagnosis of cancer really can save lives. Birstall BAGs works with other local charities to provide services that support members of the local community who are living with a diagnosis of cancer.