Member Article

Childhood cancer patient opens Housing Units Christmas department

Gracie McCall, a five-year-old undergoing treatment for childhood cancer, officially opened the Housing Units Christmas department this morning.

Gracie is the face of a new campaign launched by children’s cancer charity, Kidscan, to tie in with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Housing Units, a supporter of the charity, has raised over £19,000 through various fundraising activities ranging from in-store competitions to running the Manchester Marathon.

Gracie opened the department with a ribbon cutting, which was shortly followed by a meeting with Santa Claus himself who gifted her with a Norman the Doorman teddy – a teddy introduced by the store earlier this year to help raise money for the charity.

Commenting on the morning, Nick Fox, CEO at Housing Units, said: “We have a great relationship with Kidscan, and were delighted to provide such a special experience for Gracie. The work carried out by the charity is ground-breaking, and we were delighted to use our Christmas department opening to help raise awareness for Kidscan.”

Lowri Haf Turner, Director of Development at Kidscan, added: “Gracie is a truly inspirational child who has remained resilient and upbeat throughout her cancer treatment. She’s a very confident individual who loves to be in the spotlight, so it’s safe to say she thoroughly enjoyed her morning.”

Gracie is the star of Kidscan’s ‘I Miss’ campaign, which urges members of the public to miss out on a luxury in order to donate the cash equivalent to Kidscan. You can watch the campaign here, and can donate quickly and easily at www.kidscan.org.uk/donate.

This year’s Christmas department is the biggest yet, totalling 4,000 square feet. Following on from the success of last year, the outdoor marquee will return to host the store’s popular Santa’s Grotto.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Housing Units .