A Harrogate mother has crowdfunded money for breast reduction surgery after “suffering for years”.

Kelly Michaud only set up set a gofundme page five days ago and has since raised over £10,000.

Her aim was to raise the sum for private surgery but, after surpassing her target, she wants to use the extra cash to help campaign for breast reduction surgery to be more accessible.

Kelly’s fundraising page has gathered so much attention she has started working with an agency to handle all the media requests.

Ms Michaud, 26, only weighs 10 stone but has size 34H breasts, which have caused back and shoulder pain. Her bra has caused sores around her breasts.

She has received unwanted attention from a young age and had to change several outfits to avoid “showing them off”.

After years of being refused surgery on the NHS, and losing almost two stone in an effort to reduce the size of her breasts, she decided as a last resort to go private.

Ms Michaud says she can’t wait to have the operation, adding “It is going to have a huge impact on my life”.

She said she has been “blown away” by the response, not only by the amount raised but also by the number of women who have come forward with similar stories.

She said:

“I didn’t expect this, I didn’t think I would raise anything. It’s also helped to raise awareness for others, I want to help other women. I don’t think people understand the impact.”

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Ms Michaud hopes to reduce to a DD cup size but has yet to have a consultation. She says the reduction would change her life in so many ways and allow her to play with her children without feeling pain.

She added:

“I have also set up a petition to campaign for breast reductions to be more accessible.

“I understand getting it fully on the NHS might not work but even just some financial support to cover it would help lots of women.”

A Harrogate prep school has launched a charity book to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support after one of its students completed his cancer treatment.

Highfield Prep School wanted to celebrate head boy Ralph Tasker’s end of treatment whilst raising money for the charity.

The Highfield Joke Book is packed full of jokes written by the pupils covering everything from food to animals.

Channel 4 presenter Sandi Toksvig, star of the Great British Bake Off and QI, loved the idea of the book and wrote a humorous foreword. She said:

“People have always had it in common that we could do with a laugh. I think a day without laughter is like a day without biscuits.

“It’s also a double whammy of a winner because not only will it do you good, it will also raise money for Macmillan so even people who haven’t read it will feel better. How marvellous. Well done”.

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The pupils have already raised £2,000 for Macmillan through fundraising events held last term on ‘Ralph Day’. They now hope they can boost this will the sale of the joke book.

The book will be on sale within the school for £5, with at least £4 from each copy going to Macmillan.

A teenager from Harrogate is raising £3000 for the British Exploring Society so she can go on a three week expedition to the Canadian Yukon.

Ellie Bestington has a passion for the natural world and hopes to one day to find a career that helps protect it.

Not only will this trip push her out of her comfort zone, mentally and physically, Ellie will also be working side-by-side with experts.

The Canadian Yukon is a wild territory in northwest Canada. The 17 year old will be hiking up mountains, sleeping in a tent and digging her own toilet!

Ellie is hoping to get valuable experience from this educational trip and will be making media projects as she goes.

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Ellie has to cover the costs of her flights and kit. The £3000 is money for the British Exploring Society to continue offering these trips for young people.

Ellie said:

“I wanted to push myself in a harsh environment, it’ll be good to see how I may be tested. I will be learning and helping experts understand more about the area. In the future I want to help find ways to manage climate change but I need to know how and why it’s happened first so I want to fully immerse myself.”

Ellie with her dad, Simon, enjoying one of their favourite hobbies together, walking.

To help raise the funds Ellie and her dad, Simon Bestington, will attempt the three Yorkshire Peaks in the summer wearing pink tutus. Ellie is determined to get to Canada and says her dad will do all he can to help her raise the money, even if it does mean a pink tutu is involved.

The British Exploring Society is a youth development charity which offers young people the opportunity to challenge themselves in new environments.

To support Ellie’s fundraiser, click here.

Unpaid carers will be given extra support through the continuing coronavirus crisis thanks to fundraising by a Harrogate group.

Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club has donated £1,500 to the Carers’ Resource Covid-19 Emergency Fund after completing a virtual ascent of Everest in the summer.

The fund was set up to help unpaid carers facing unexpected challenges during the pandemic, such as replacing broken white goods or paying for emergency heating repairs. After appealing for help, Carers’ Resource was chosen to receive the proceeds of the Rotarians’ efforts.

Rotarian Mike Hammond said:

“During the Covid-19 crisis, Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club have been working hard to help charities that have suffered a huge loss of income. Our members have dug deep into their own pockets to supplement our charity account, but much more is needed.

“We are delighted to be able to support Carers’ Resource in this way and we appreciate the work that the charity does.”

Carers’ Resource said the needs of people being cared for by unpaid relatives, friends or neighbours have increased during the pandemic.

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In September 2020, Carers Trust ran a major survey of unpaid carers across the UK. The results showed that:

• only 12% of unpaid carers agree they receive enough support from social care
• the proportion of unpaid carers providing 50 hours care or more per week for a family member has almost tripled to 64%, compared to 23% in the 2011 census
• 54% of carers have given up, or reduced, paid work because of caring responsibilities
• one in six (16%) reported that lockdowns and closure of local services have forced them into caring for an additional 40 hours or more per week.

Over the last few weeks, Carers’ Resource has launched an advice line for carers to access help, advice and information, as well as continuing to see carers face-to-face in line with covid-safe guidance. Well-being and confidence-building sessions have continued, along with online yoga, quizzes and coffee mornings to combat loneliness and isolation.

Carers’ Resource community fundraiser Claire Macina said:

“The way that the Brigantes threw themselves into raising funds has been amazing.

“Unpaid carers have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic and we frequently get requests for support. At Carers’ Resource we can offer advice and information and we can also support with financial assistance too if need.”

Local charities

The donation to Carers’ Resource was just part of the Brigantes’ efforts this year, which have seen £8,600 raised to give out to good causes. As well as sending £2,200 to Shelterbox for disaster relief efforts and the Rotary Club of Himalayan Gurkhas in Kathmandu to combat the impact of the covid-19 pandemic in Nepal, the group has contributed more than £6,000 to local charities and people in need.

Among those receiving support are Wellspring Therapy, Harrogate Easier Living Project, Supporting Older People, Horticap, Parkinsons UK, Dementia Forward and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Meanwhile, although its usual Santa’s Grotto in Asda, Harrogate, has not been possible this year, the supermarket is working with Rotarians to put together Christmas packages for clients of the charities the group supports. Brigantes president David Hayes said:

“All this is possible only through the generosity of those who have supported our fund-raising efforts and helped us to give away some £18,000 for Covid relief since the start of the pandemic. I should like to say a very big thank you to them all: members of the public who have supported our new ventures such as the Lockdown Poetry Competition and our virtual trek up Everest; visitors to the Valley Gardens who have given at the Wishing Well; Club members who have made donations including those in lieu of what they would have spent on club meetings and meals; and the families and friends of members.”

For more information about Carers’ Resource, click here or call 0808 591 5939. To find out about Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club and how to become a member, click here.

A £35,000 fundraising campaign is underway to install a lift for people with disabilities at the Pateley Playhouse.

Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society, which is based at the theatre, is coordinating efforts to raise the sum.

The society said it is eligible for a £15,000 grant and hopes to raise the additional £20,000 via a crowdfunding page.

Renovating the historic 1930s Playhouse will be a complex project but the society has said the character of the building will remain intact.

Currently the first floor auditorium is only accessible via two steep staircases and a lift is required to comply with building regulations regarding disabled access.

The lower floor, which includes the bar, foyer and actors’ changing rooms will be re-arranged to accommodate the lift. Depending on funding, work is scheduled to start early 2021.

The Playhouse can seat up to 73 spectators but is currently closed due to the pandemic.

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The society said it hoped that undertaking renovations during this period of covid-enforced closure would enable it to hit the ground running when it reopens next year.

Eileen Burgess, one of the founding members of The Playhouse in 1968, said:

“The Playhouse is such an important part of the community in Nidderdale and these renovations will make it even more inclusive for all members of the public.

“I can think of no better time to make these upgrades in the current circumstances and I hope the public will be enthused to pull together and raise the funds needed to start the process as soon as possible.”

To support the fundraising effort, click here.

The coronavirus pandemic has badly affected the Guide Dog’s programme to train new dogs and the charity’s ability to raise money.

So the fundraising group of the Harrogate branch has combined with 400 other groups to support the ’12 Guide Dogs of Christmas’ event.

From today to December 12 the Guide Dogs charity will showcase a different dog online each day. The aim of the event is to fund twelve new life-changing guide dogs for those in the waiting list across the UK.

Within Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough there are five guide dog owners with a further four people waiting for their special companion. Funds raised from activities such as these go towards dog training.

In 2016 Kate Hammond, from Harrogate, was matched with her guide dog Sheba. She says the support from Guide Dogs and its local branches has meant her and Sheba “bonded very quickly”.

She said:

“Four and a half years ago I hardly ever left my home because my confidence had been shattered by my rapidly deteriorating vision.

“Then I was matched with Sheba. She has been an absolute life changer! Sheba quickly learnt my usual routes and we go for long walks every day with Sheba moving me out of the way of obstructions such as low hanging branches, wheelie bins and even puddles.

“Sheba has given me my independence back and with it a much, much happier life. I am eternally grateful to the Guide Dogs Charity for matching us together.”

This Christmas fundraiser will support owners across the UK.

During the pandemic, the Harrogate branch has adapted its services using online platforms to support its users. It says the pandemic will have a knock-on effect. It’s meant some people have to wait longer to get the right dog for them.

Nicola Ridgway, fundraising relationship manager for the Harrogate area, said:

“Fundraising groups have been unable to carry out the thousands of collections planned across the UK which could equate to a loss of £870,000 in 2020. That is why campaigns like our 12 Guide Dogs of Christmas which we are launching on the 1st December are so important to us right now and we are very grateful for any support people feel able to give to this.”

To support the appeal, click here.

The staff and trustees at Harrogate Mind are walking 1932 miles next month to raise money and awareness for the importance of your mental health.

This festive challenge will see the team walk the distance from The Acorn Centre, central Harrogate, to Lapland between December 1 and December 25.

There are 15 staff members and trustees taking part, meaning each of them has to walk, run or cycle almost 130 miles in 24 days.

The charity said it hopes to promote the benefits of exercise for a person’s mental health through this fundraising campaign.

Tina Chamberlain, CEO of Mind in the Harrogate district, said everyone had worked really hard during the pandemic and even they can sometimes forget to work on their own mental health.

She said:

“We are often too busy taking calls from people to take a lunch break and the long days mean that you don’t feel like exercising when you leave work either. I noticed it was all starting to take its toll on staff.

“We came up with the idea that we would walk the 1932 miles from Harrogate to Lapland. Having this goal has really galvanised the team.”

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A Harrogate sixth form pupil has raised almost £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support after hosting and performing in her own virtual concert.

Niamh Boyle, 17, staged her first concert for the charity, which supported her aunt and uncle in their final days, in 2018.

That event raised £12,000 and now Niamh has generated another significant sum for Macmillan from her second concert, which was held online and included performances from current and former Ashville pupils.

Niamh editing the performances during her school holidays before broadcasting them on her Youtube channel in September.

She has far exceeded her £3,000 target.

Niamh said:

“It just goes to show that Macmillan is a charity close to so many hearts.

“I hope that we can do a live one again next time. I can’t wait to do more for this amazing charity.”

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The concert included 25 songs from musicals. Niamh performed in three solos and three duets.

Adele Burrough, fundraising manager for Macmillan, said Niamh’s efforts would help people living with cancer, adding:

“Niamh’s remarkable efforts have also made sure that cancer doesn’t become the ‘forgotten C’ during this pandemic.

“Right now, there are around 179,000 people living with cancer across Yorkshire. When coronavirus hit, thousands of vital cancer treatments and appointments were postponed or cancelled.”

Ellie Renton wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up and a new wheelchair can help her along the road to achieving that ambition.

Now, villagers in Kirkby Malzeard and the surrounding area are rallying round to make it happen.

The 10-year-old, who is a pupil at Kirkby Malzeard C of E Primary School, has just sat her eleven-plus exam and hopes to follow her older brother William to Ripon Grammar School.

Ellie is keen on sports and competes in the national league as a winger for Middlesbrough Powerchair Football Club.

She is also creative, musical, plays computer games with William and is academic, with art, science and maths among her favourite subjects.

What stands in the way of Ellie making further progress when she goes to secondary school is mobility and the need to be able to take part in lessons at the same desk level as her classmates.

Ellie sits besides the fundraising plant stall run by Pam Collins, of Kirkby in Bloom

She was diagnosed with type 2 spinal muscular atrophy when she was 18-months-old and has been reliant on having a specialist wheelchair throughout her first five years at school.

Ellie has outgrown the chair she currently uses and her parents, Yvonne and Martin, with the support of villagers in Kirkby Malzeard, their family and the wider community, are responding to an appeal for help.

Donations to the Keeping Ellie Mobile appeal, combined with a £5,300 voucher from NHS Wheelchair Services means £11,000 of the £19,000 has been raised towards the purchase of a Permobil F3 electric chair.

Mrs Renton told the Stray Ferret:

“We launched the appeal last November and would like to thank everybody that has helped us so far.

“The covid pandemic has made fundraising difficult, but we are determined to raise the £8,000 we still need as soon as possible.”

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Village support has included the sale of potted plants by Pam Collins, of Kirkby in Bloom, and a further boost came when Ellie’s grandmother, Margaret Renton, who lives in Ripon, sold valuable coins including a gold Krugerrand at auction.

Coin sale

Money from the sale of the coins will take the appeal total to £11,000, giving hope that the chair, which has an adjustable height mechanism allowing Ellie to sit at a desk or table, can be purchased well in advance of next autumn.

She is already looking ahead to university and said:

“I eventually want to study marine biology, because I am worried about the creatures in the oceans and want to be able to do something to help them.”

Further details about Ellie’s wheelchair appeal can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/keeping-ellie-mobile

Frank’s Fund is a Harrogate-based charity set up by the Ashton family after their son Frank died from a rare form of bone cancer last year.

Frank Ashton was a “brave, funny, kind and positive” young man who loved playing sports and going to Nando’s with friends.

He lived in Harrogate with his family and beloved dog Barney and attended St Aidan’s high school.

But in May 2016 the family’s world changed when Frank was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. Frank went through relentless rounds of chemotherapy, all the time staying positive.

Frank’s family said he was always smiling.

By May 2017, Frank’s tumour had been removed during an eight hour operation and he had gone through 12 months of chemotherapy – he was in remission.

Only five months later, in September 2017, the cancer came back. This was just before Frank’s 13th birthday. Louise Ashton, Frank’s mum, said:

“With a cancer like this when it comes back there is no treatment, it’s like being given a life sentence. The doctors said he has two years to live, he had another seven months of chemo.”

Over the next year Frank continued to remain positive and see his friends but in January 2019 his health was failing fast and Frank died a month later, aged 14.

Frank’s Fund was set up to keep Frank’s memory alive and remind people of the positive person he was.

Louise added:

“He had a fantastic smile and we miss him massively. We set up the charity to keep Frank’s memory alive, we want him to be remembered as the funny boy he was.”

Frank’s Fund was set up to raise funds to go to dedicated cancer research. Primary bone cancer received just 0.028% of funding from major UK cancer charities in 2018/2019. The treatment and survival rates of this cancer haven’t improved in over 30 years.

To donate to the fund click here.

Louise said:

“It’s really shocking how little this cancer receives. The best way for people to fund bone cancer research is to give to a dedicated charity. I would have been really angry if I knew how little funding went into research when Frank was alive.

But now we are doing something about it with Frank’s Fund.”

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Frank’s family with Maisie Adam a charity patron (second from the left) and other comedians who performed during the charity’s comedy night last year.

The family are determined to raise as much as they can to follow Frank’s wishes to prevent children suffering as he did.

This year several of their fundraising events have been cancelled but they are continuing to fundraise with a virtual comedy night on December 11 and selling Christmas cards, follow the charity on Facebook to see updates.