A year into its partnership, North West-based charity, Mummy’s Star and Manchester-headquartered, Tosca Debt Capital (TDC), continue to open new doors for local families diagnosed with cancer in and around pregnancy.
After joining forces to initially raise awareness and funds for women and their families affected by cancer during pregnancy, and those diagnosed within 12 months of giving birth, this partnership has flourished. Helping to deliver on the charity’s aim and mission, the multi-layered approach is ensuring Mummy’s Star becomes the go-to point of referral for all women presenting with cancer during pregnancy and/or post birth across any hospital in the UK and Ireland.
TDC’s links with various influential partners, as a leading lender to ambitious SMEs across multiple regions, has enabled literature to be placed within the majority of hospitals throughout the South of England, with the staff from its investment portfolio business, Vernacare, delivering Mummy’s Star collateral into every hospital they visit.
Connections with Kids Planet Day Nurseries enabled families to benefit from free childcare hours to support with the pressures faced during their cancer treatment and surgery, while several of the nurseries also hosted fun days and raised more than £2,000 for Mummy’s Star.
Fellow TDC portfolio business, Verdant Leisure, also provided respite breaks in several idyllic locations, helping families to escape the never-ending demands and heavy toll of cancer treatment, which is both physical and psychological.
A short film documenting the first-hand account of Alice Pemberton, one of the women supported by Mummy’s Star, was also shot, edited and produced thanks to the goodwill of Reel Vision’s, Richard Daly, and husband of TDC Portfolio Director, Victoria Daly.
The video can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuMnGMO1jiU
Mummy’s Star is the only charity of its kind in the UK and Ireland dedicated to supporting this unique cause. It was formed in 2013 by CEO Pete Wallroth in memory of his wife, Mair, who at 22 weeks pregnant with their second child, was diagnosed with cancer and began chemotherapy. Despite giving birth to a healthy baby boy named Merlin, Mair sadly passed away three months later.
Mummy’s Star bridges the gap between the information and advice available for expectant and new parents experiencing cancer, and supports women and their families through peer support and financial aid when the two life changing events happen simultaneously.
Pete and his team have helped hundreds of families, and its primary focus is supporting expectant or new mothers who are undergoing treatment for cancer, as well as providing help and guidance for fathers and other family members impacted by the diagnosis.
The charity’s partnership with the regional debt fund, TDC, was originally formed through an already established relationship between Pete and TDC Partner, Richard Williams, who had previously attended school together.
Richard Williams, explains: “Our focus was on unlocking the expertise, reach and passion of our portfolio businesses and wider regional connections to develop a network partners that could make a real difference nationwide in supporting those who are going through this unimaginable situation.
“It’s fantastic to reflect back on how far this has come in just 12 months and shows the true possibilities of cross-party collaboration. This is a subject that we’re extremely passionate about and that resonates with everyone at TDC, as we’ve a number of a parents within our team and many personal and family experiences of loved ones lost to cancer.”
Pete Wallroth added: “The first year of this partnership has brought a wealth of benefits to so many of our families, far beyond the expected. So often in the situations we see, it’s the extras that are given up first, but these are the things that bring normality to families. Thanks to the team at TDC and the introductions they’ve provided, we now have a range of additional benefits that we can offer our families, which simply were not there before”
To find out more, visit: http://www.mummysstar.org/
