The Drewery family, of Combs, near Stowmarket, raise £1,000 for Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund after daughter Darcy battled disease during Covid lockdown

A family whose young daughter battled cancer during the coronavirus lockdown has raised £1,000 for a charity that supported them.

Darcy Drewery, from Combs, near Stowmarket, was three-years-old when she was diagnosed with a type of kidney cancer called Wilms tumour in 2020.

In February 2021, the family was given the great news that there was ‘no evidence of disease’.

Since then, the family have been passionate about raising awareness of children’s cancer, and Darcy’s grandad Michael Drewery, of Michael’s Butchers in Felixstowe, hosted an Easter raffle this weekend with fellow High Road East business Lotty’s Sandwich Shop in aid of the Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund.

The charity supported the family with a much-needed respite break in The New Forest during Darcy’s treatment.

Speaking to SuffolkNews earlier this month, Darcy’s mum Emily said: “It was the nurses at Ipswich Hospital that put us in touch with Lennox and they offered us a respite break. You don't realise how much something like that helps and means to you until it happens.

“After spending months apart and the constant worry about Darcy, to have a change of scenery and be together was so special.

“As a family we cannot ever thank them enough. We are in a much better place now so happily fundraising and supporting Lennox so they can continue to help other families like ours who need it during difficult times.”

The raffle prizes included a leg of lamb, an Easter cake and a platter of Easter treats. Tickets were priced at £1 and the raffle raised £1,000 in total.

Michael said: “It was a nasty time [when Darcy was ill] and the Lennox helped her and the family so I just wanted to give something back.”

Darcy was in attendance at Michael’s Butchers to hand out the prizes.

All funds raised will be donated to the Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund.