Rochdale and Chorley schoolchildren raise over £700 for Derian House Children’s Hospice

Competition runners up Elsie Miller, Lyle Turner and Millie Harton alongside winner Ethan Bradshaw and Headteacher Rachel Brown

A colouring competition run by Keenans Estate Agents has seen schoolchildren in Rochdale and Chorley raise over £700 for Derian House Children’s Hospice.

The competition saw mini cut out houses delivered to over 30 primary schools across Chorley and Rochdale, with children from Reception class, Year One and Year Two invited to decorate the small houses with their own house and family or an imaginary one, with families then asked to donate a minimum of £1 per box. 

A total of £763.51 was raised for Derian House, with prizes up for grabs including a family break in a lodge at Gulliver's World in Warrington for the winner, and three runners up receiving family tickets to Gulliver's World.

With so many entries, the Keenans team had a challenge on their hands to pick a winner, but after several hours of deliberation they awarded first place to Ethan Bradshaw, seven, while the runners up were Elsie Miller, seven, Lyle Turner, seven, and Millie Harton, six, all of St Peter’s CE Primary School, Chorley.

Faye Broadley, Sales Negotiator at Keenans, said: "These young people really are extremely talented. There were so many incredible entries; it took us a while with Kerry from Derian House to choose a winner.

"All the children and their families should give themselves a big pat on the back. Community is a huge part of who we are at Keenans and seeing all these children and their families getting involved to fundraise for such an important charity has been incredibly heart-warming."

Kerry Pritchard, Community Fundraiser at Derian House, added: "We have been overwhelmed by the response to this competition and we can't thank Keenans enough for running this great initiative.

"Here at Derian House we provide respite and end-of-life care to more than 450 babies, children and young people across the North West, as well as their siblings, parents and grandparents, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"It is fundraising efforts like this from Keenans which allows us to do what we do."