Latest News & Grant Making

We were so proud to support William with a very special trip to Disneyland Paris 🏰✨

A trip to Disneyland had always been William’s dream. After being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2021, he showed incredible strength throughout years of intensive treatment, completing his journey in 2025. Following this huge milestone, Elsie’s Story was honoured to present William and his family with the funds to help make that dream a reality.

In June, William travelled to Disneyland with his parents and younger sister, and seeing the photos from their trip brought so many smiles. William, we are so incredibly proud of the strength, courage and bravery you have shown, and continue to show.

What makes this grant even more special is that William and his family were Elsie’s Story’s very first grant. What an incredible family to begin this journey with. It meant more to us than words can say, and it was a true privilege to play a small part in helping make your dream trip come true 🤍

Elsie’s Story was proud to make a grant towards the creation of a special garden for a very special little girl, in a small village in Lancashire 🌿

Created as a place for friends, family and the wider community to reflect, learn, play and find peace, this garden project beautifully shows the power of the community coming together to make a difference.

Projects like this remind us that sometimes the most meaningful support is found in shared spaces, places that bring comfort, connection and moments of calm. It was a privilege to play a small part in helping bring this garden to life 🤍

Vortex Cheer is a grant that meant so much to us and, from the very beginning, it was something we wanted to help make happen, knowing how important Vortex was to Elsie and how often she spoke to me about their dream of having their own space.

Vortex Cheer was such a big part of Elsie’s life, and from the moment she joined, we watched her grow in confidence, in skill and in friendships. It is a truly special place, run by the most special people, who continue to hold Elsie so close. Elsie will always be part of the Vortex Cheer family, and not a day goes by where the team don’t include her in one way or another.

Elsie’s Story made a grant to enable Vortex Cheer to move into their own premises, having previously been restricted by renting spaces and limited days and times. Having their own home has allowed them to expand their timetable, making classes more accessible and creating a space where the girls can feel safe and truly call their cheer home.

The grant also provided essential equipment to make the space safe and usable for all the children, and while we know there are plans to make it even more special over time, we are so happy to be on this journey with you, one that means so much to us as a family, and always will to Elsie 🤍

This was a very special grant to such a special family. Elsie’s Story made a grant to support Sergio as he takes on the challenge of completing the Six World Major Marathons over the next 12 months, alongside his incredible wife and Alice’s mum, Alex.

This challenge is for their daughter, Alice, and everything she continues to represent, her love and her magic. With the support and guidance of the Merseyside Community Foundation, Sergio’s journey will help raise awareness, generate crucial funds, and continue the important work being done through Alice’s Wonderdance, helping to make dancing accessible to more children.

This grant was made possible through the generosity of the community and businesses who continue to stand beside us all, helping to support the practical costs involved in taking on a challenge of this scale.

Let’s continue to spread Alice’s Magic 🤍

Following a grant awarded to us by Bupa, Elsie’s Story was proud to make a grant to Farnborough Infant and Junior School to support the creation of a special outdoor learning space for the children.

The school was gifted a beautiful garden from the Southport Flower Show, created by Jason Williams and designed by a local schoolgirl. To allow the garden to be moved and replanted safely, Elsie’s Story made a grant to provide the additional materials needed to make the space safe and usable.

Further materials were also provided to create an area where children can plant and grow their own vegetables, encouraging healthy habits, positive wellbeing and hands-on learning. Jason has kindly offered to return to the school to share his knowledge and help the children learn how to care for the space.

With outdoor space at Farnborough being limited, it felt important to help create an area that could be used thoughtfully and to its full potential, supporting outdoor learning for years to come 🤍

Elsie’s Story was proud to make a grant to fund an early eye-gaze communication bundle for a young child, helping to give her the opportunity to communicate independently and have a voice of her own.

This grant felt especially meaningful. Despite facing complex physical challenges, it was clear just how bright, capable and full of personality this little girl was. She simply needed the right tools to express herself. Watching the joy she showed when trialling eye-gaze technology for the first time stayed with us, a moment where communication became possible in a way it hadn’t been before.

Early intervention is so important, and providing this support now allows her to begin her communication journey, unlocking potential, confidence and connection. Every child deserves the chance to share their thoughts, needs and feelings, and we were honoured to help make that possible.

The eye-gaze bundle was purchased directly by the charity and delivered to the family, helping to put the right support in place at the right time. It was a privilege to support her and her family in such a meaningful way 🤍

Elsie’s Story partnered with Santa’s Secret Forest to create a truly magical start to the festive period for pupils at Merefield School.

Fifty-three students attended the experience, with Santa’s Secret Forest working closely with the school to ensure every child’s individual needs were met, allowing them to fully enjoy every moment. From the very start, it was about creating a space filled with joy, wonder and excitement.

So many smiles were created on the day, and the feedback we received from parents was incredibly special. Knowing how much this experience meant to the children and their families made it all the more magical.

Thank you to Santa’s Secret Forest for helping us create such a special day for the children and their families 🤍

Elsie’s Story was proud to fund an emotional resilience programme at Greenbank High School, supporting Year 7 pupils as they begin their high school journey.

Through the Shine Programme, 16 girls are taking part in a 12-week course designed to build confidence, self-worth and emotional resilience in a safe and supportive small-group setting. Delivered by Hayley Coggins, the sessions focus on understanding big emotions, managing anxiety, building positive friendships and developing practical tools to support wellbeing. We also look forward to introducing more students to the programme as it continues.

Programmes like this feel so important, giving young people the space, support and confidence they need during key transition years. We’re incredibly proud to support a project that helps children feel stronger, more resilient and better equipped for the journey ahead 🤍

This was a grant we had wanted to do from early on. We wanted to gift an experience the children would never forget, something filled with joy, laughter and magic, as a gift from their friend Elsie.

Elsie’s Story made a grant to support a Year 4 theatre trip to Matilda theatre production at Liverpool Empire for the children at Farnborough Road Junior School, Elsie’s school year. After such a difficult year, it felt incredibly important to create a moment of happiness and light for the children, something that reflected everything Elsie stood for: kindness, joy and love.

Giving back to those who needed it most felt incredibly important, offering something magical after something so hurtful. Our hope was to create memories the children would carry with them, and the feedback we received from parents was overwhelming. I know just how much this trip meant to the children, and that makes it even more special to us.

Elsie’s Story purchased the theatre tickets directly and also provided refreshments for the children on the day, helping to make the experience feel truly special. Being able to give the children a day filled with excitement, smiles and shared memories was a privilege and one we know Elsie would have loved 🤍

Over the Christmas period, Elsie’s Story supported families who had been nominated to us by people in the community, colleagues and clinical professionals, with the shared hope of easing what can be an incredibly difficult time.

This support wasn’t about simply buying presents. From personal experience, we know that during the hardest moments, moments of normality and choice can make a real difference. By providing toy shop vouchers and experiences, it gave families the chance, even if only for a few minutes, to choose something for their child and picture that smile on Christmas morning.

Christmas can be financially overwhelming, particularly for families navigating illness or incredibly challenging circumstances, and we felt it was important to offer support in a way that preserved dignity, choice and a sense of control at a time when so much can feel out of reach.

We hope this support brought moments of comfort, joy and light when it was needed most 🤍

We know first-hand how hard times like this can be on siblings, and the lasting impact they can have.

At Elsie’s Story, we always want to show a little love and create magical experiences for families who need it most, exactly when they need it.

Jacob was a ten-year-old little boy from Bootle, living with a rare and life-limiting condition. When we heard about Jacob and his family, it felt important to create moments of light for his brothers, small, thoughtful experiences during an incredibly difficult time.

A Liverpool mascot experience was generously donated by John Barnes, Andrea Barnes and Liverpool FC for our inaugural Elsie’s Story dinner, and was purchased by Vinventius, who immediately gifted it back to Elsie’s Story. This allowed us to pass it on as a very special experience grant for Jacob’s eldest brother 🤍

To make it even more special, the experience fell on his birthday.

We also made sure Jacob’s youngest brother had something just for him, because every sibling matters.

Thank you for helping us create smiles that will stay with families long after the moment has passed 🤍