Beckbury villagers pedal up £10,000

Having been helped by the Starlight Children's Foundation, 13-year-old Chloe Rouse and her mum Sarah have continued to raise money for the charity which aims to make wishes come true for seriously ill children, most recently with a 20km cycling challenge that has brought the total raised past the landmark amount, it has now been revealed.

More than 50 villagers from Beckbury, near Shifnal, aged from six to seventy-two, mounted their bikes for Chloe, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in September 2015.

Chloe received over 120 doses of chemotherapy in the first nine months of treatment and had to endure daily injections. She is now receiving maintenance chemotherapy and had her wish to go to Disney World Florida granted by Starlight in April.

Sarah said: “It all began when we found out that Chloe’s Starlight wish was being granted. We were so overjoyed that we decided to host a pub quiz in the village to raise funds for Starlight to give something back.

"This was really successful and raised £800 but I was delighted when our family friend, Beverley Shingler-Day, who is a cancer survivor herself, said she would like to organise a bike ride for Starlight in Chloe’s name.

“We started out with just six cyclists, but as word spread, we received more and more interest in the bike ride and we ended up with fifty-five cyclists signing up to take part.

"It really was so heart-warming to see the community come together in support of Chloe.”

The bike ride was held on April 30, with cyclists seen off by Chloe at the start, finishing with a family fun day at the village hall which included a lunch, raffle, auction and even face painting and nail painting by Chloe and her friends.

Beverley said: “We started off with a fundraising target of £2,500 to help grant another child’s wish but it soon became clear that we were going to raise a lot more. It’s amazing to think that as a community we’ve raised £10,087.67and helped to give another child and their family the once-in-a-lifetime experience of a Starlight Wish.”

Chloe's wish was a seven day trip to Florida including stops at Disney World and Universal Studios

Sarah said: “For the first time in what seems like forever we forgot about all troubles and treatment and Chloe and her sister, Abbie, were smiling from start to finish.

“Chloe’s Starlight Wish has provided an amazing focus for our whole family and came at just the right time.

"Being just over half way through her treatment, the trip gave us the boost we needed as a family. Whenever times are tough or Chloe’s having a particularly bad day, we just talk about Florida, the sites we saw and the special moments we shared together.”

Starlight Children’s Foundation also provides a year-round children’s hospital entertainment programme in over 300 hospitals and hospices throughout the UK.

To help raise even more funds for Starlight, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/4chloebikeride