Tilly, eight, follows in 'Elmswell Elf' mum's footsteps by thinking of others with charity bake sale
A schoolgirl inspired to fund-raise by her 'Elmswell Elf' mum and her grandfather has raised more than £100 for a charity close to her heart.
Tilly Utting, eight, took over the staff room at Tesco, in Bury St Edmunds, for a bake sale in aid of Parkinson's UK.
Tilly chose the charity as her grandfather Peter Utting was diagnosed with the condition during lockdown.
Tilly said: “My grandpa, who is now in a care home, has Parkinson’s. I wanted to raise money for the people who have this condition to help them fight it.”
Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and currently there is no cure. It affects around 145,000 people in the UK and every hour two more people are diagnosed.
Tilly's mum Tanya, 37, found fame last Christmas as the 'Elmswell Elf', after delivering gifts in random acts of festive kindness.
Tanya said: “Tilly came home from seeing her grandpa on one of his bad days and saw how it was upsetting her dad.
"She told me she wanted to do something and asked me if we could do a bake sale outside the house. Knowing that if no one turned up it would break her heart, I spoke to my manager at Tesco and they said she could come and use the canteen to do the bake sale.
“Tilly’s empathy and love for others is amazing – she’s such a kind and caring little girl and has dealt with all of this so well.”
Kirsty Berrigan and Rebecca Landolt, heads of regional fund-raising at Parkinson’s UK, said: “We are so grateful to Tilly and Tanya.
"With more than 40 potential symptoms, Parkinson’s can devastate lives. We’ve made huge breakthroughs in the last 50 years, but there is still no cure and current treatments are not good enough."
